The Kendo Club
by Forsaken Angel BlackWing
Summary: Kazuto Kirigaya has led a dull life, always getting picked on for one reason or another. However, that all changes when a certain piece of his background is revealed. Forced into joining the Kendo Club for his talents, will this change in his boring life be for the better? Kiriharem (HIATUS for National Writers' Month)
1. Instincts

The Kendo Club

Chapter One: Instincts

* * *

**Beginning A/N:**

**Hey, Infinity Moment here! (I change my usernames frequently, so I was recently known as NitoryuNoKami and The Geico Gecko. Sorry for any confusion I may be causing my readers.)**

**So yeah, this is a short story for you all in the meantime until I can actually update one of my other projects. This one isn't complete yet and I'm not sure when it will be. Also, my first story, ERROR: SYSTEM REBOOT, is almost at TWENTY THOUSAND VIEWS! Thank you so much for all the support you've given my first story. **

**Have a good read!**

* * *

I walked through the school hallway, heading towards my locker. When I got there, my stomach dropped.

_Great, my locker needed another touch up._

Said locker had been covered in graffiti, with words I'd rather not repeat written all over it. Looking to the right, I noticed the locker next to mine had similar graffiti.

"Hey Kirito, how's it going?" queried my friend and neighbor, Sachi, as she walked up to me.

"Oh, same old, same old. My locker has different words on it today, though, so _there's_ something new. Then again, so does yours," I said despondently.

"Cheer up, Kazuto. I'm sure the end of the day will come soon enough, then we can get to our club!"

_Which is exactly why I get picked on._

"Thanks… Sachi."

"Well anyway, let's go! We have the last three classes together, remember? Come on!"

I sighed. "All right…"

* * *

By the end of the day, all I wanted to do was go to the clubroom, get on my computer and play my favorite MMO.

Despite the fact that our club was technically called the Computer _Research_ Club, we spent most of our time focusing on our new "research topic," which happened to be my favorite MMO, Sword Art Online.

_What an interesting research topic…_

We made the excuse that we were trying to research the various floors of Aincrad, the world that SAO was set in, and somehow it worked.

* * *

I was practically jumping in my seat just before the bell rang, and when it did, I utilized my speed gained from morning exercises to run out of the room, weave through the growing crowds and get into the clubroom in less than a minute.

Once I closed the door to the room, I immediately went to the computer in the corner, sat down in the corresponding chair and logged onto my school account, opening SAO from my taskbar shortcut.

_Game id: Kirito_

_Password: ************_

I logged on, immediately checking to see if the seventy-fourth floor had been cleared yet. Sadly, it seemed as if no one had even made it to the boss room, let alone beaten it.

_If things keep going on like this, I'll just have to solo it like I did with the 73__rd__ floor boss. Of course, no one knows how I actually did it… hehe._

"As always, you're the first to get here. By the way, I heard you soloed the seventy-third floor boss over the weekend. Congrats on beating it! My one question is… how?" someone said while entering the clubroom.

He walked over to me, and I met his fist with my own.

"It's my secret, and mine alone. Sorry Ducker."

"I heard you told Sachi!" Ducker said indignantly.

I looked him in the eyes, meeting his glare with an impassive stare.

"Yeah, well, that's different."

"How so?" another teen said, walking into the room.

"Hey Prez."

"Hey yourself, Kazuto! I heard from Sachi that they've been vandalizing your lockers again. I wish there was a way to stop them," said our club president, Keita.

"Don't worry about it, we don't mind," Sachi said as she entered the room.

"I still don't like it that my friends are getting bullied," Keita asserted.

"Come on, you don't need to worry about it. It's our problem to deal with," I said, hiding the bitterness I felt.

_Don't try to solve my problems for me! They're mine and mine alone!_

"Well, okay… anyway, let's get to playing— er, researching!" Keita shouted enthusiastically.

Everyone cheered, including Sasamaru and Tetsuo, who had just entered the room.

_I love you guys… you're the best club I could ever ask for._

* * *

After club activities ended, I was on the way home with Sachi when someone pushed me down from behind.

"Let me guess… is it you, Kuradeel?" I hissed.

"You're damn right it's me!" Kuradeel said. "What the hell are you doing walking on _my_ street?"

"Oh **** off. It's a public street, dumbass," I retorted, earning a punch in the face.

I saw Sachi look on in fear, just as she always did.

"That's right, keep on roaring!" I continued taunting him.

He grabbed a fistful of my shirt, pulling me up towards his face.

_Wait for it… three, two… one…_

"Stop it, you'll make us look bad."

_And _there_ we go._

"A-Asuna-sama! What a lovely surprise! We were just having a little fun!"

"Really? You punching a defenseless boy in the face doesn't seem like fun to me."

_I'm not defenseless, idiot,_ is what I wanted to say, but I held my tongue.

"Okay, fine! I'll leave for now!" Kuradeel said, letting go of my shirt and walking away.

Asuna looked at me and Sachi, who had just recovered from her fear.

"Sorry about that, he's kind of the rotten apple of the bunch," Asuna apologized.

_What a stupid metaphor._

"So you didn't save me because you cared about a fellow student's safety, you only saved me because if he beat me up, it'd look bad for the Fencing Club. Did I miss anything, _Flash_?" I said, spitting out her nickname as if it was venom.

Asuna glared at me, then turned to walk away. "I can't believe I saved a jerk like you! See if I ever help you out again!"

I smirked. "Don't forget to write!"

Sachi and I continued our walk home in silence, before Sachi broke the silence with, "You know, you really should be a little nicer to her. She saved you, after all."

"It must be the end of the world if you're lecturing me," I said bitterly.

"I'm serious, you should be more careful about whom you do that to."

"I know, it's just that… I've had this feeling lately, as if something bad is gonna happen. It's getting closer and closer, and I know it has something to do with the Fencing Club. I feel like if I provoke people, it'll happen to me instead of someone who doesn't deserve it."

"Kazuto… wait, who is it you feel like it's going to happen to?"

_I can't tell her the truth._

"No one in particular, just someone who doesn't deserve it. Someone innocent and kind," I said, falling deep in thought.

_If she realized the person I was talking about were her, she might distance herself from me… but… if I don't tell her, she might slip up and it'll happen to her… my premonitions have never been wrong, but this is the only one I want to change!_

"Is the person you're referring to… me?"

Wary of her reaction, I said, "Yeah. Every time I see it, you're always alone, so I've been trying to be as close to you as possible… sorry if that's creepy."

"No, it's kinda cool. Anyway, we're here!"

I looked up, noting that we had indeed reached our houses.

_At least we're next-door neighbors._

"All right, I'd better go. My parents are waiting for me!" Sachi said cheerily, starting to walk to her house.

"Wait!"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Would you want to… stay over here tonight?"

She looked back at me with an apologetic smile. "Sorry… I want to, but my parents and I are going out to dinner tonight."

"Oh… okay," I said.

_I guess it can't be helped. I just hope it doesn't happen between now and school tomorrow._

We walked into our respective houses, saying goodbye for the night.

* * *

"I'm home!" I said as I walked through the doorway.

"Hey, brother!"

_Sugu._

I ignored my "sister" and made my way upstairs where I could spend the entire night gaming.

Once I got into my room, I immediately mimicked my entry into the clubroom earlier that day, rushing over to my seat and logging in.

_ID: Kirito_

_Password: ************_

"Check it out, someone mapped out the seventy-fourth floor boss dungeon already! I'd better get the map data from Argo and go beat that thing!"

I PMed my favorite info broker, Argo the Rat, and told her I'd be willing to pay for the map data.

I wasn't surprised when I saw a reply in my inbox mere _seconds_ after hitting send.

_How much are you willing to pay up?_

I typed out a reply.

_20,000 Col if you give it to me within the next fifteen seconds._

Three seconds later, she replied with, _deal! :D_, and an attachment containing the map data.

_Thanks, here's your money,_ I replied, sending twenty thousand Col with my PM.

_Pleasure doing business with you! :D_

I finished our conversation with, _as always, same here._

"Now, let's go find me a boss to solo."

I yawned deeply, finally realizing how tired I was.

"Well, I'll just save before the boss room and pick it up again tomorrow at club."

* * *

When I woke up the next morning and noticed my nightstand clock had stopped ticking, I bolted out of bed.

_What time is it?!_

Looking at the digital clock in the front room, I noted the time. I was late… very late.

"Damn it! Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

Suguha got up from the couch, saying, "That's for ignoring me last night!"

I then noticed something. _The premonition is gone! Wait, does that mean… no!_

"IDIOT!" I yelled, running out the door and slamming it behind me.

I ran as fast as I could to school, hoping beyond hope that Sachi was okay.

My hopes were completely destroyed by the scene before me.

A car had rammed into another one from behind, and medics were carrying three people into waiting ambulances. But the car in front wasn't just any car.

_That's Sachi's parents' car! NO!_

I rushed over to the medics, asking if the people who were being transported into the ambulances were the Takamachi family. I received a nod of affirmation.

_No…_

"Could you please tell me the hospital you're taking them to? I'm a good friend of their daughter, and I would like to visit her when I can," I said, my voice betraying no emotion.

The medic wrote down the address of the hospital and thanked me for my concern. I left, running as fast as I could. I wasn't running to get to school, however. I was running to get away from the bitterness and regret I felt, with no success.

_Why?! Why wasn't I there?!_

Before I knew it, I found myself at the school's kendo practice area.

_Great, the one kind of place I never wanted to come back to. Stupid instincts…_

One of the kids practicing walked up to me, saying, "What the hell is a nerd like you doing around here? Did you come to get your ass kicked?"

_I don't need this right now. Why are they even practicing right now, anyway?_

"Look, I'm not in the mood for this. I just want to be left alone right now."

He tightened his grip on the Shinai he had in his right hand, saying, "So you're scared? _Chicken_."

"I told you, I'm not in the mood for your crap right now!"

I began to walk away, but his hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"I didn't say you could leave!"

"Don't. Touch. Me," I said in a low, dangerous tone.

"Oh yeah, what're you gonna do about it?"

I whipped around, primal fury in my eyes. In one fluid motion, I grabbed his right arm with my left, twisted his hand to make him let go of the Shinai, and grabbed it with my right hand.

I pointed the Shinai towards him, saying, "Get the **** away from me and _never come back_, you got that? I don't wanna see you near me or _any_ of my friends again, or you're gonna be in the hospital for a _long_ time. Now, fetch!" I snarled, throwing the Shinai back to the training grounds.

Looking terrified, the boy ran away to get his practice sword.

_Heh, he wasn't a challenge at all._

* * *

Word spread around fast about what I did to the boy in the kendo club. By the end of the day, whenever I looked at one of the bullies, they looked away in fear.

When I entered the clubroom, I noticed that everyone was there ahead of me.

"Hey guys…" I said, walking sluggishly to my computer.

"So… what happened that got you so mad at that guy? If we can help, then we will," Keita said.

"I wasn't really mad at him as much as… bitter inside. I just took it out on him. Of course, he _did_ try to bully me."

"Why were you bitter?" Ducker queried curiously.

"It's… Sachi… Sachi got in a car accident."

Silence.

"Is she alive?"

"I don't know, Tetsuo… I don't know," I said, beginning to tear up.

. "Man, I'm sorry… I'm guessing you were there when it happened," Keita said, a sympathetic expression on his face.

"No… I got there right after it happened."

_I can't stay here… there are too many happy memories of Sachi and everyone here._

"I have to go," I said, my voice cracking.

"I understand," Keita said as he watched me leave.

"See ya."

And with that, I left the Computer Research Club for good.

* * *

**Ending A/N:**

**Wow… what a beginning! I typed this up in less than a collective day! Anyway, like I said in the summary, this is a Kiriharem. I was out of inspiration for my other projects so I decided to write this in the meantime. I might end up going all out and continuing this if you all like it, or even if I'm just inspired to do it.**

**Hmm… I wonder if Sachi died… just kidding! I already know what happened, for I am the almighty author!**

**Hopefully you guys enjoyed this little story. Now, it's time for the line that no one cares about: I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters!**

**See ya!**


	2. Stress Reliever

The Kendo Club

Chapter Two: Stress Reliever

* * *

**Beginning A/N:**

**Well, I guess I'm continuing this!**

**As always, you guys are awesome for reading my work!**

**Have a fun read!**

* * *

_"I don't know, Tetsuo… I don't know," I said, beginning to tear up._

_"Man, I'm sorry… I'm guessing you were there when it happened," Keita said, a sympathetic expression on his face._

_"No… I got there right after it happened."_

_I can't stay here… there are too many happy memories of Sachi and everyone here._

_"I have to go," I said, my voice cracking._

_"I understand," Keita said as he watched me leave._

_"See ya."_

_And with that, I left the Computer Research Club for good._

* * *

It had been a week since the car accident, and although Sachi's parents had recovered, Sachi had fallen into a coma. I visited her every single day I could, right after school, having quit the Computer Research Club.

Word got around town that I had quickly disarmed a seasoned kendo fighter with ease, and now I got invitations to join the Kendo Club and various other athletic clubs almost daily.

_Damn it! Why won't these people stop already?! I don't want to go back to that damned sport! I just want to be left alone!_

As I walked through the school grounds on my way to the hospital where Sachi resided, three members of the Kendo Club, all with Shinai of their own, blocked my way.

"I don't have time for you muscle heads."

"So we have a smartass, do we? I can't believe Sanji lost to a scrawny punk like you," one of them said.

"I told you that I don't have time for you, now _move_," I hissed, growing more irritated by the minute.

"Why? You're only going to see your dead girlfriend."

I could barely contain my rage. "She's not dead," I said darkly, my bangs covering my eyes.

"The ***** might as well be— oof!"

I retracted my fist from his stomach, taking the Shinai that fell from his right hand.

"That's _it_. You pricks can insult me all you want, but now that you've insulted Sachi, I'll NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

My vision tunneled, allowing me to focus in on my targets: their weak spots and their pressure points.

I hit the second boy in the stomach with my Shinai, sending him toppling to the ground. I picked up his Shinai in my left hand, settling into my own style of fighting form.

"Y-you… you're using two swords?! And that style… Then that means that you're… _I'm out_!"

The third boy ran away as fast as he could, not even looking back at his friends, who were unconscious on the ground.

"_Despicable_."

And with that, I threw their Shinai down on the ground and left for the hospital, not noticing the crowd staring at me as I left.

* * *

When I arrived in the hospital room, I noticed Sachi's parents sitting in the chairs by the window, like they always were. They thanked me for coming again, and I thanked them for being so nice to me.

Sachi's parents had become like a second family to me, always treating me kindly and bringing me food when I came in. We had become very close, to the point of Sachi's mother saying she thought of me as a second son on one occasion.

I went to Sachi's bedside, taking hold of her hand. "Sachi… I'm back again today. I know you can't hear me, but I just want you to know… I still care about you… and I'll come here every day until you recover."

Somehow, as if she actually heard me, a small smile came to her face.

I had grown past crying when I came near her, resolving to act strong around her, even though I knew she wouldn't know I was there.

* * *

An hour later, I thanked her parents for their hospitality and left, already feeling empty inside for leaving her.

_Well, I'll be back tomorrow._

* * *

When I got home, I immediately ran up to my room and logged on to Sword Art Online, setting to work on mapping the seventy-fifth floor boss dungeon.

_I might actually need to form a raid group for this one, seeing as the floor bosses are devastatingly powerful every twenty-five floors, and then their strength dies down a bit. First things first, I have to finish mapping out the dungeon and share the data with my friends._

* * *

Several hours later, when I was about to fall asleep at the computer desk (which had become a common occurrence), I logged off and walked over to my bed. I collapsed on the mattress, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

When I woke up, I found a sandwich lying on my nightstand.

_Why…? Well, it doesn't matter. I'm starving, and that smells _really_ good._

Before I dug in, I noticed a piece of paper with a messy scrawl that could barely be described as handwriting.

_Huh. Couldn't be Sugu, her handwriting is neat. Her cooking never smelled this good, either. It couldn't be my aunt, she's always at work, and her handwriting is _perfect_. Who could it be?_

Eventually I decided to give up and read the note.

_"Your mom decided to hire me as a cleaning lady and as someone to cook Suguha's meals, since she knows you eat at the hospital and Suguha doesn't know how to prepare anything. I decided I'd fix you something for breakfast, considering how you always look like you're starving in the mornings. Eat up!_

_-Asuna"_

"The hell?"

"If you don't want it, you can always go back to starving and overeating at lunch," someone said from the doorway.

"Hey, _Flash_. I don't know why the hell my aunt hired you, but get the hell out of my house. I don't want any more publicity than I already have, since I'm guessing that my little stunt last night already went around town."

"All right, suit yourself," Asuna said, coming to recollect the sandwich.

"Like hell! Just because I tell _you_ to get out doesn't mean the sandwich needs to go with you!" I exclaimed, grabbing the sandwich and taking a bite.

"This… this is amazing…"

"Do I still have to leave?" Asuna inquired smugly.

"Since my aunt hired you, there's nothing I can do about it… but I don't want to see you in my room _ever again_. Next time, leave the sandwich by the door," I ordered.

"Yeah, whatever," Asuna said with a bored tone. "Hey! Why do you have two kendo swords in your room?" she exclaimed, pointing to the relics of my past.

I sighed in annoyance. "First off, they're called _Shinai_. Second off, they're from a long time ago. Third, _get out of my room,_" I hissed.

"Okay, jeez. See you at school."

And with that, she left, closing the door to my room.

_Thank god… now I can get up and put some pants on._

After getting ready, I set off for school.

_No sense waiting up for Sachi…_

* * *

I walked to school at a sluggish pace, just waiting for someone to come by and try to bully me.

_I need someone to hit me right now… hit me hard._

Unfortunately for me, no one even dared to try to bully me anymore. Throughout the next three days, no one approached me other than people wanting me to join their athletic clubs.

Eventually, when I was being pestered by the Kendo Club on the third day, I finally snapped.

"You know what?! **** it! Fine! I'll join your stupid club, if only to show you idiots how _weak _you are!"

"Cool, we have the Black Swordsman in our club now!"

_Dammit! Just when I thought I was free of that nickname!_

"Don't. Ever. Call. Me. That. Again."

"G-got it!"

While we walked to the clubroom, I decided to call Sachi's parents with the number they gave me and tell them about my new club.

"Hey Mrs. Takamachi, I just wanted to tell you that I'll be a little late in visiting Sachi. I kinda joined a club…"

"That's great! I was getting worried that your gaming was beginning to interfere with your social life, but now I don't have to worry about that! Don't worry about being late, I'm just glad you've decided to be a little more social. Have fun, Kazuto!"

She hung up the phone, and I let out a sigh of relief. _Good, she isn't mad… Sachi's parents really are amazing._

* * *

As we walked into the clubroom… or rather, the dojo, I noticed a beautiful girl with lavender hair and a shapely figure in the middle of a battle with a blonde girl, who was quickly being overwhelmed by the lilac-haired girl's incredible speed and strength.

_She may be really strong and fast, but she's somewhat lacking in skill. It's as if she was trained in… nito-kendo, just like me. Maybe she was…_

"Who is that?" I asked the boys who led me here, pointing at the lavender-haired beauty.

"Oh, that's our club president, Strea. Would you like to meet her?"

"Sure, I guess," I drawled, not even trying to hide my apathy.

"Hey, Prez! The Black Swordsman is here!" he shouted out.

"Hey there, Kazuto-chi! I have to apologize on behalf of my students for how they kept trying to force you into our club. All I said was that it'd be more fun with you around, and they went running! I couldn't stop them even if I tried. Once they have their minds set on something, they don't stop until they get it done," said the lilac-haired girl.

I found myself mesmerized by her… figure… to the point where I found myself dismissing my anger at them.

"Well anyway, I'm glad you joined, as I've been wanting to test my idol's strength for a long time. Right after I learned nito-kendo, you just disappeared off the map!"

"For good reason," I sighed. "I didn't want to fight anymore. Something happened… something I still don't want to talk about…"

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

"Well, you say you wanted to test my strength? Since I'm here, we might as well practice. I've been a little rusty for a while."

"Nito-kendo, I presume?"

"Well obviously," I said cockily, walking over to where the Shinai were kept and grabbing three. I tossed one to her, seeing as she already had one from her previous fight.

We walked to the fighting mat, tensing our muscles for battle.

The blonde girl walked up to the mat, saying, "All right, I'll be the referee! We're going to have an informal match! Anything goes except head and groin shots! Each hit on the body is worth one point, and whoever hits ten points is the winner! Ready…"

I smirked, trying to look confident as I settled into my own style that I had used to win all the tournaments I entered.

"Set…"

The lilac-haired girl smiled back cheerily, getting into the classic style.

_This'll be easy._

"GO!"

She charged, falling prey to my trap. As soon as she came within striking distance, I sidestepped, allowing her to sail right past me.

I swung with amazing speed at her back, hitting the correct pressure point and sending her falling to the ground.

_Point one._

When Strea got to her knees, I swung down again, making contact with her… Shinai?

I backed off, watching as she struggled to get up.

"This is easy," I taunted, waiting to get a reaction.

"Not yet… I won't lose to you yet!"

She charged at me, but I easily sidestepped and performed the same move, only to make contact with her Shinai again.

"You learn fast," I complimented her.

"You won't make me fall for the same trick twice!" she exclaimed, running past me and turning around.

She charged again, but this time I didn't sidestep. I had decided to get _serious_.

I blocked a strike from her left Shinai with my right, spinning it around before beginning to jab for her stomach. She blocked it with her right Shinai, leaving an opening to an attack from the left, which I took.

_Point two._

We jumped back at the same time, immediately charging back simultaneously.

I swung at her from above with my left Shinai, which she blocked by putting her own in a cross.

_Big mistake_.

I swung from the side with my right Shinai, hitting her in the side. By this time, she had pushed my other Shinai back, and aimed a strike for my chest. I ducked, hitting her once with each blade on the legs.

_Points two, three and four._

I jumped back just in time to avoid an overhead swing, immediately charging back in and jumping _over_ her, delivering an overhead strike to her back.

_Point five._

I turned in midair so that when I landed, I was still facing her. She charged at me, swinging at my chest again. I fell backwards, letting go of my right Shinai and pivoting on my right hand, striking her in the legs and forcing her to fall to the ground.

_That breaks the halfway mark, and she still hasn't even got one hit on me._

I grabbed my Shinai and jumped to my feet, backing off to wait for her to make a move.

She got up shakily, grasping both of her Shinai tighter.

"I… won't lose yet!" Strea yelled, running at me once more.

"You won't lose _yet_, you say…" I said while deflecting every sloppy move she made.

"All right, it's time to go all out!" I yelled.

"Wha—"

I started to speed up, hitting faster and harder than ever before.

I hit her right Shinai near the handle, then hit her right hand with my other Shinai to force her to drop it.

_Point seven and weapon disarm._

"Cheap shot…" Strea said in an almost inaudible voice.

"Anything goes except head or groin shots!"

She ran back to get her sword, which had flown to the edge of the arena. Before she could grab it, I rushed over and batted it off of the mat, following up with a strike to her side.

_Point eight._

"Wow, guess I wasn't that rusty after all! Anyway, I'd say we're just about done here. I have to go visit my friend, if you don't mind," I said.

"No, that's all right… it looks like I've still got a ways to go, so I'll be practicing hard until tomorrow."

"Don't go too hard on yourself, or you might end up injuring yourself. Trust me, it happens. Anyway, thanks for the fight. It was a great stress reliever."

With that, I left the dojo to go to the hospital.

When I arrived at Sachi's room, I took a deep breath before entering.

_Don't worry, she said it was all right. But what about her dad… would he be okay with it?_

I decided to swallow my fear and enter.

"Hello, I'm sorry for being so late," I said.

"Don't worry about it, Kazuto. I just think it's nice for you to finally make some new friends!" Sachi's mother, Ritsu Takamachi, said.

"Yes, we're happy that you've decided to go out and be more social, just as long as you still see our daughter every day like you have been," Sachi's father, Daisuke, said.

"I will. Thank you for understanding."

I walked over to Sachi and bent to her level, watching her innocent sleeping face that I had seen countless times before at sleepovers. It still looked as beautiful as ever.

"Hey Sachi, I'm sorry for being late. I joined a new club, so I hope you won't be mad at me when you wake up. I'll patiently wait until you recover, and as soon as you wake up, I promise I'll take you to all sorts of fun places that you never got to go to you were like this… w-with your parents' permission, of course."

I got up, sitting back down in the chair by her bed.

"Well, are you two ready for dinner? I made a special meal in celebration of Kazuto joining a club!"

She brought forth many a plate of amazing-looking cuisine, just waiting to be devoured.

I began to tear up for the first time in weeks. "Thank you… so much…"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Daisuke said, patting me on the back. "We know it's hard on you, and we want you to know that you're always welcome with us!"

And with that, we dug in, talking lightly and just having a good time.

_I'm so glad… they accept me as if I was their own son…_

* * *

When I got home, I decided to talk to Suguha while I was still in a good mood. When I found her on the couch, I took a deep breath and said, "Sugu… I'm sorry for how I've been ignoring you lately. I know no excuse can fix that, so I'll just apologize."

"Baka onii-chan! But… I'm glad you apologized to me. I was worried that you were mad at me."

"I was never mad at you, I just had a lot on my mind, what with… you know," I reassured her. "Oh, that reminds me! I joined a new club, so I'll be getting home a little later. Is that okay with you?"

She did a spit take with her coffee.

"Y-yeah, that's fine with me. I'm curious though… what club did you join?" Suguha inquired with curiosity.

"The Kendo Club…" I sighed.

She did another spit take, running over to me and yelling, "You took it back up?! But I thought—"

"W-well, I was kind of surprised too." _I shouldn't tell her why, though._ "Oh, and I had a practice round with the club president today, too."

"How easily did you beat her?" Suguha queried, smiling cockily.

"Well, we fought with two swords each, so…"

"You completely annihilated her, right?" she smiled.

"Pretty much."

I yawned, feeling the events of the day quickly catching up with me. "Well, I'm a little tired, so I'm gonna head off to bed," I said.

"Kay! Good night, Onii-chan!"

When I entered my room, I looked at my computer longingly, but in the end… I decided not to play Sword Art Online.

_Not tonight… I'd probably just fall asleep at the desk._

I got under the covers of my bed.

_Today was full of ups and downs, but in the end, things turned out great. I wonder what kind of crazy surprises tomorrow will bring… well, only one way to find out…_

And with that, I fell into a deep sleep, full of blissful dreams.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I can't believe this just happened! I typed this one up even faster than the last chapter!**

**Anyway, you finally got to see some real action! I wanted to try a different style, so let me know if you like this one better, or if I should switch back to my regular fight scene style.**

**Well, I think that's about it! If you have a question, don't hesitate to review or PM me! Flames will be ignored, and guest flames will be deleted on the spot, so if you're going to say something negative, make it at least a little helpful. I'll always accept constructive criticism.**

**Anyway, it's about time for everyone's least favorite line!**

**I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters!**

**See ya!**


	3. The Showdown of Blades and a New Hope

The Kendo Club

Chapter Three: The Showdown of Blades and a New Hope

* * *

**Beginning A/N:**

**I'd like to thank you all for your support for this fanfic! You've been amazing! So, I bring you another chapter. Have a fun read!**

* * *

_I yawned, feeling the events of the day quickly catching up with me. "Well, I'm a little tired, so I'm gonna head off to bed," I said._

_"Kay! Good night, Onii-chan!"_

_When I entered my room, I looked at my computer longingly, but in the end… I decided not to play Sword Art Online._

_Not tonight… I'd probably just fall asleep at the desk._

_I got under the covers of my bed._

**_Today was full of ups and downs, but in the end, things turned out great. I wonder what kind of crazy surprises tomorrow will bring… well, only one way to find out…_**

_And with that, I fell into a deep sleep, full of blissful dreams._

* * *

I woke up to the smell of a great sandwich wafting into my room.

_It's been one week since she started her job here, and I have to admit, she's done an okay job with the cleaning. Her sandwiches, though… they're amazing…_

Snapping out of my thoughts, I got up, took a shower, got dressed, and headed downstairs, sandwich in hand.

"Hey _Flash_, why are you still here?" I asked with mock irritation at the scene before me.

Asuna was cleaning the table with a washcloth, paying attention to every single area that needed cleaning and cleaning it twice as hard as needed.

I wasn't really irritated by her presence in my house anymore, just… apathetic.

"For your information, _Black Swordsman_, I still have some cleaning to do before we go to school."

"Touché."

_Soon summer vacation will start, and she'll be coming more often… oh, joy…_

Asuna had been accompanying me to school over the past week, for reasons I still didn't understand. No matter how hard I tried to dissuade her from walking with me the first few days, she wouldn't stop. Eventually, I grew tired of trying to stop her, so I gave up.

As we walked to school, I noticed Asuna looking at me strangely.

"What?"

"It's nothing… I was just curious."

"Curious about what?"

"About… why you joined the Kendo Club. I thought you hated kendo."

"I do. I was constantly pressured to join it by Strea's boy toys until I accepted. The very same day, I ended up utterly _destroying_ Strea in nito-kendo," I explained.

"Wow, you're _that_ good? But wouldn't you be out of practice if you haven't fought since middle school?" Asuna queried, a perplexed frown on her face.

"I thought I'd be rusty too, but apparently kendo is drilled too deep into me to let me get out of practice."

It was then that I noticed that we had arrived at school. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess," I told her, beginning to walk away.

_And in seven days, I'll be seeing her a lot more frequently than that… wonderful…_

"Wait!"

"Yeah?"

"Do… do you think I could come with you to see Sachi tonight?"

_Huh?_

"I guess… I'll have to call Sachi's parents and tell them…"

_Damn it! why the hell am I agreeing to this?_

"Thanks! I'll meet you after club!"

I sighed in resignation.

_I guess I have no choice…_

I headed off to class.

* * *

When the end of the day came, it only served to remind me of my punishment.

_Great… after club, I have to take Asuna with me to visit Sachi and her parents… great._

I suddenly found an arm around my shoulder.

"Hey, Kazuto-chi!"

"Get off of me, Strea."

"Right, you're reserving yourself for the blue-haired girl."

"Her name is Sachi," I said darkly. "Now _get off_."

"Right, got it!" she said cheerily, taking her arm off of my shoulder. "By the way, our vice president came back today!"

I looked at her curiously. "I remember hearing that the Kendo Club had a vice president… who is it, and where was this person?"

"His name is Klein, and he's actually better than I am. I'm only president because he's away a lot…"

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You've really improved over the week I've been in the club."

She sighed glumly. "I guess. He's been better than I am at all aspects of swordplay for as long as I can remember. We were always rivals, and he would always beat me… but thanks, Kazuto-chi. You really cheered me up!" she said as we entered the room.

_What the hell is wrong with me? My personality has changed so much over the past week… I just don't get it at all!_

* * *

When we arrived at the kendo dojo, I noticed a tall man with red hair and an unshaven face fighting the same blonde who fought Strea on my first day of the Kendo Club.

However, he was overwhelming her even faster than the blonde had overwhelmed Strea, and with a lot more skill.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I want to talk to him."

"All right. Go ahead."

I walked into the dojo, Strea following slowly.

"Klein," I said flatly.

He turned to me, his face brightening. Somehow, he was still able to block all of the blonde's attacks without looking.

_Damn, this guy is good._

"Well, if it isn't the Black Swordsman! I heard you joined our club! Cool!"

"Yeah. I heard that you're the strongest here," I hinted.

"Yeah, that's right," Klein replied. A few seconds later, realization dawned on his face. "You mean you want to…?"

"Yeah."

"Nito-kendo style?"

"If you feel up to it."

"All right! I've been studying under a master in England, so I think I'll do fine!"

"Let's put that confidence to the test, shall we?"

I walked over to where they kept the Shinai, tossing two to him and picking up two for myself.

As usual, the blonde decided to be the referee.

_Is it bad that I still don't know her name?_

"All right, this is an informal match! Anything goes except head and groin shots, and each hit is a point! Whoever reaches ten points first will be the winner! Ready?"

Klein looked at me with a goofy smile, settling into a style all his own.

"Set…"

I smirked, realizing what his style was geared towards.

_His style is made for countering, so I'll just attack faster that he can counter! He probably heard about all of my fights with Strea, so he'll be expecting me to wait until he charges. I'll show him that I'm not all counter!_

I settled into my own counter style, trying to fool him.

"GO!"

I charged, closing the distance between us in seconds and catching him off guard. He quickly regained composure, settling back into his counter style.

_Good job._

I swung at his left shoulder, making him block with his left Shinai at an awkward angle. He swung for my chest with his right Shinai, making me fall backwards. I then did the same pivoting move I did with Strea in our first fight, but this time, however, it was dodged.

Jumping back up, I immediately went back on the offensive, performing an overhead slash. He blocked it the same way that Strea did, with his swords in an X.

I jabbed with my other Shinai, but he redirected my overhead swing and moved his Shinai across downwards to block my strike.

I jumped back, breathing a sigh of relief.

_Good, I'll get a challenge!_

"You have amazing defense," I praised.

"And your offense is almost overwhelming!"

I smirked devilishly. "Almost? Let's fix that, shall we?"

"Huh?"

And just like that, I was on him again, using his confusion to get in two quick strikes to the chest.

_Points one and two._

He aimed a slash for my chest again, and I back-flipped away. Seconds later, I was back on the offensive.

_This guy is good… I'm gonna have to be faster!_

Right before I reached him, I jumped into the air, delivering another overhead strike which was blocked by his left Shinai. I used the block as a catalyst to turn me around as I fell and slashed him twice in the back.

_Points three and four._

I jumped away, waiting for him to make a move.

"Come on, you need to take the initiative and attack! Your current attacks are few and far between, you'll never win like that!" I lectured—and taunted—simultaneously.

"All right then, I'll go!"

We ran at each other, and a flurry of hacks, slashes, dodges and blocks ensued.

_He's almost as fast as I am!_

Then, he got his first hit in… on my right shoulder.

_Damn, that's gonna hurt my mobility!_

I immediately retaliated with a swift blow to his stomach that sent him reeling back in pain.

_Point five_.

"Jeez, that hurt like hell!"

"That's what you get for agreeing to fight one of the best kendo fighters on earth!"

"True enough."

_I like this guy._

I ran back at him, purposefully running past him and getting a strike in on his back.

_Point six._

As he turned around, I ran back and jumped over him again, landing behind him and striking him twice in the legs.

_Points seven and eight._

As I got up, he hit me in the stomach with his left Shinai, sending me back to the ground.

I got up and back-flipped away.

_This guy is good… really good. I might have to go all out to get those last two hits in!_

"You're an amazing fighter, you know that?" I congratulated again.

"That's an awesome compliment coming from the best of the best!"

_I'm not the best, though…_

I decided to look at the time, noting that it was past time for the club activities to end for the day.

_Shit, I have to end this quickly!_

"Well, let's continue!" Klein shouted, charging at me.

As he ran, I slid under his legs and delivered two strikes to his lower back.

"Gotta go! We'll fight again sometime! See ya!"

And with that, I got my things and rushed out the door, hurrying to meet up with Asuna.

* * *

When I found her at the school gates, I heard her yell, "Where the hell were you?! You kept me waiting for fifteen minutes!"

"Sorry… club activities ran late…" I said, panting for air.

"Oh, whatever…"

We walked for a little while, then I remembered something.

"Hey, you wouldn't mind if I called Sachi's parents and told them we're running late, would you?" I requested, my breathing finally back to normal.

"No, that's fine."

I called Sachi's mom's cell phone, and she picked up on the third ring.

"Hello, Kazuto!"

"Hey, Mrs. Takamachi. I just wanted to call and tell you that I'm bringing a friend, and that we'll be running late. Club activities ran over. Sorry."

"Oh, it's quite all right. We're actually running late too. Daisuke's meeting ran late, so we'll probably get there around the same time you do," Ritsu said from the other end of the line.

I sighed in relief. "All right, thanks for understanding. I'll see you there!"

"Yes, we'll see you there! Bye now!"

And with that, we hung up our phones at the same time.

"You seem really close with her parents," Asuna mused.

I looked at her, saying, "I've met up with them at Sachi's hospital room every day since the car accident. They're like a second family to me."

"I see… hey, Kazuto… can I ask you a question?"

_If she's asking to ask a question, it must be serious._

"Sure," I said tentatively.

"Do you… love Sachi?"

My eyes widened. "I…"

"It's okay if you don't want to answer."

I looked at her, noticing the downtrodden expression on her face. "It's not that I don't want to answer, it's that… I don't know…"

"Don't know what?"

"I don't know if I love her or not. I feel _something_, but I don't know what it is. It could just be longing to have my best friend back, but it could be something more. I just don't know…"

_It's been so long… that I don't even remember what love feels like…_

"I see. Well, whatever! I'm sure you'll find that out once she wakes up!" Asuna reassured me.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

* * *

When we arrived at the hospital, we found Sachi's parents getting out of their car.

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Takamachi!" I called, running up to them.

"Hello, Kazuto! I see you brought your girlfriend. Good for you!" Daisuke said with fake enthusiasm, patting me on the back.

"No, she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends. My aunt hired her to clean house, so we're together a lot."

"Oh, I see! Well, it's good to see you bring a friend here! We've still been a little worried about your social life, so this eases our minds." Ritsu said.

With that, we all entered the hospital, heading for Sachi's hospital room.

* * *

When we entered her room, we were greeted with a myriad of doctors and nurses, all crowded around Sachi. I rushed to the bed, shouting, "What happened?!"

One of the nurses smiled as she looked my way. "She's showing signs that she'll be regaining consciousness soon."

"But then… why are you all here?" Ritsu queried nervously.

"Someone said they heard her talk."

We all gasped in surprise.

"Now, don't get too excited. If she wakes up, it'll most likely only be for a few minutes a day at first. Eventually she'll be completely aware, but she may need to relearn basic things, such as how to walk, talk, and maybe even how to eat. Are you prepared to deal with such things?" said a man who appeared to be the head doctor.

"Of course! We'll do anything to have our little girl back, and I'm sure Kazuto here would love to have his best friend back as well," Daisuke assured the doctor.

I nodded furiously, with just as much enthusiasm as Daisuke.

"All right then. If and when she wakes up, she'll need someone to look after her while she's not at therapy, and since I know that you two work nonstop," the doctor said, gesturing towards Sachi's parents, "you'll need to hire someone to take care of her."

"When is her projected time of being aware enough to be transported safely home?" Ritsu queried.

"Seven to eight days. In that time window, you will need to hire a caregiver for her."

I jumped at the chance. "I'll do it! Summer vacation starts in seven days anyway!"

"What? Wouldn't you rather spend summer vacation doing what you want?" the doctor asked in disbelief.

"I'd do _anything_ to help out a friend, especially for a reason like this. Plus, she's been my best friend since middle school! I'll help as long as need be!"

"Mr. and Mrs. Takamachi, are you okay with this?" the doctor inquired. He seemed skeptical.

I looked at them with pleading eyes.

"Of course. It would probably be better for her to be cared for by someone she trusts, wouldn't it?" Daisuke confirmed. "Plus, I'd trust him more than any professional caregiver," he finished, patting me on the back.

"I agree with my husband. But Kazuto, are you sure you want to resign your summer to this?"

"Of course, although I don't think of it as resigning my summer."

"Well then, it's settled," the doctor confirmed. "You're a really good kid to be doing all this for your friend."

I rubbed my neck in embarrassment. "Eh… thanks!"

"Well, visiting hours are about over, so we'll let you know if any new developments occur."

"All right. Let's go, kids!" Ritsu said energetically, beckoning me and Asuna to come along.

It was then that I noticed the defeated look on Asuna's face.

_What do I do about this?_

* * *

When we got out to the hospital parking lot, I said my goodbyes to the Takamachis, and we parted ways.

Then I was faced with the difficult part.

"Asuna… are you okay? You looked so sad back in the hospital room…"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine…"

"Oh. Well….all right then."

"Kazuto…?"

"Yeah?"

"W-would it be okay if I stayed the night at your place? I swear I won't bother you…" Asuna trailed off.

_Why the hell would she want to… oh, I get it!_

"All right, I'll let you stay the night, but on one condition."

"W-what's that?"

"You have to admit that you're scared of going home alone at night."

She blushed, murmuring something.

I snickered. _This is too damn cute… wait, where did that come from?_

Snapping out of my thoughts, I kept it going. "What was that?" I teased.

"I-I said… I'm afraid of going home alone at night."

"All right, let's go!"

* * *

When we arrived at home, I saw Suguha waiting for me on the front step.

"Onii-chan, where have you been?!"

I looked at her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry… club activities ran late, so I was at Sachi's hospital room until visiting hours were over. But I have some good news!"

"Oh? And what would that be? Does it involve Asuna over there?" Suguha asked, pointing accusingly at Asuna.

"No. Here it is… Sachi is slowly regaining awareness! She should be aware enough to be transported to her home in about seven days!" I said excitedly.

"That's great! Wait, seven days… that's when summer vacation starts! Don't tell me that you…"

I smiled brightly. "Yup! I'm going to be her caregiver until she's fully recovered!"

"Wow, that's really nice of you! But… what if the kendo club has summer activities?" Suguha asked, bringing up a good point.

_I hadn't thought of that…_

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!"

"Moron…" Suguha said as she walked away.

* * *

Half an hour later, I had unfolded the futon for Asuna, and she was sleeping peacefully.

Being on the verge of falling asleep myself, I decided to call it a night.

_Well… I guess my summer vacation is shot. Strangely, I couldn't care less. Well…_

"Goodnight, Asuna."

And with that, I fell into a blissful sleep, filled with dreams of the good moments of the past week.

**A/N:**

**Well, that was fun! I didn't want to drag out the whole Sachi-is-out-of-the-game thing, so I decided that in next chapter, you'll be seeing what it's like to care for someone slowly recovering from a coma.**

**Fear not, harem fans! It may seem like KiriSachi now, but that's because… well, he said it himself… he's not sure of his feelings for her. I'm probably going to shift focus between the girls of the fic on occasion. When this happens, you can expect the focus on that particular girl to last at least a chapter or two.**

**Also, Strea is NOT an OC. She's a character from the video game adaptation, (Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment) which is where I got my new pen name.**

**Anyway, if you have a question, leave a review or PM me and I'll be happy to answer.**

**Now, it's time for everyone's most hated line: the diabolical disclaimer!**

**I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters!**

**See ya!**


	4. Distractions

The Kendo Club

Chapter Four: Distractions

* * *

**Beginning A/N:**

**Yet another one! This one is all about Kirito and his efforts to care for Sachi without getting distracted by other things. As you can probably tell by the chapter name, I'm not gonna make it easy for him! :D**

**Anyway, I'm going to make a prequel to this story soon, called, "Crossing Blades, Crossing Hearts." (It'll be chaptered, and might end up being just as long as this story, if not longer. The prologue will be pretty short, though.) It'll be set before Kirito met Sachi and her friends.**

**With that piece of information, have a fun read!**

* * *

_Half an hour later, I had unfolded the futon for Asuna, and she was sleeping peacefully._

_Being on the verge of falling asleep myself, I decided to call it a night._

_Well… I guess my summer vacation is shot. Strangely, I couldn't care less. Well…_

_"Goodnight, Asuna."_

_And with that, I fell into a blissful sleep, filled with dreams of the good moments of the past week._

* * *

My eyebrows twitched in restlessness as I remembered my conversation in the hospital a week ago.

_"Of course. It would probably be better for her to be cared for by someone she trusts, wouldn't it?" Daisuke confirmed. "Plus, I'd trust him more than any professional caregiver," he finished, patting me on the back._

_"I agree with my husband. But Kazuto, are you sure you want to resign your summer to this?"_

_"Of course, although I don't think of it as resigning my summer."_

I closed my eyes.

_That's what I said, but… this is _really_ boring. Sure, her sleeping face is cute, but… when that's all I see for hours on end, it gets a little boring._

I sighed.

_Well, I made a commitment, so I have to see it through._

"Hey there, I guess you're the person in charge of caring for Sachi?" a sly female voice said from behind me.

"Who are you?" I asked, not even turning around.

"I'm Lisbeth, I go to your school. I'm the president of the Computer Mechanics Club," the girl informed me.

"Wait, what does the Computer Mechanics Club actually do?"

"We take apart, examine, and rebuild computers while trying to make improvements on them."

"I see… I might have something for you guys to experiment with once school starts back up, unless you have summer activities," I said.

"What do you mean? Weren't you just a lazy gamer before you joined the Kendo Club?" she asked, although I could tell she wasn't making fun of me.

Regardless, I clenched my teeth to hold back any retorts that I might have said. "In elementary school, I built my first computer, for storing pictures of my schoolwork at home."

"Seriously?!"

"Shhh…" I quieted her, pointing to Sachi, who was sleeping soundly beside me.

"Yes, seriously."

"Wait, you said it was your first… does that mean you made more?" Lisbeth asked, trying desperately to keep her excited voice quiet.

"Yeah. If you want, I'll give you the one I made in middle school to look at. Just don't mess with the files inside. I want you to see if you can enhance the computer's memory while still keeping all the files and data intact." Noting the curiosity in her eyes, I continued with, "If you succeed, then you can look at the files all you want."

"But what if we fail?"

"Just in case, I'm going to make a backup of all of them and put them on the gaming computer I made."

_They'll fail, and then it'll all be gone. Good._

"Okay… we have summer activities in three days, so when would be a good time to pick it up?"

"Anytime is fine. I have to get up at five to get ready to come over here by six, so I'll just bring it over here with me. I live next door."

"Why do they make you get here at six?"

I pondered whether I should tell her the truth. In the end, I decided to do it. "They don't. It's kind of embarrassing, but I come here early just to make sure I don't miss anything."

"… I see."

"Wait… why did _you_ come here, Lisbeth?" I asked with suspicion.

"I'm Asuna's rival in the housecleaning business. They hired me a few weeks back."

_She seems to be telling the truth._

"Well, I'm cool with anytime," I said, "but if you could, could you come around lunchtime?"

"Sure, that'd be fine. Is it okay if I bring some of my club members?" she requested.

"Sure, as long as they're quiet around Sachi."

"All right. Well, my job is about done here, so I'm gonna head back to my house," Lisbeth said, preparing to leave.

"Wait."

"Yeah?"

"… thanks. Talking with you relieved some of the restlessness I've been feeling from standing around all day."

"No problem, Kazuto. I'll see ya."

And with that, she walked out of the room.

"Kazu… to… are you… there?" Sachi said slowly, barely opening her eyes.

_She remembers how to talk, so that's good._

"Yeah, I'm here," I said gently.

She smiled contentedly. "Who were you talking to…?"

"A friend of mine who came for a visit. Nothing to worry about."

"That's good… you made more… friends…" she said, nodding back into unconsciousness.

"Rest well, Sachi…"

* * *

Two days went by like lightning, and before I knew it, it was the night before I planned to give Lisbeth the computer I made containing all of my personal files… files that I wanted to delete, but didn't have the heart to delete myself.

_Once I lose all of those files, maybe it'll ease my conscience… maybe I'll forget it all… maybe I'll be able to… love again._

"Onii-chan, get out of the shower! It's my turn!"

"Okay, I'll be out in a sec!"

* * *

I collapsed on my bed, having finished my shower and everything else for the night.

_If all the files are gone, I might be able to forget it and get over it… but… do I really want to forget? Do I really want to forget her? She was… my everything…_

And with that, I fell into a deep sleep filled with nightmares about my middle school years.

* * *

When I woke up to the sound of my alarm, I felt as if I had been set free from a dangerous prison known as my dreams.

_Oh, thank god… it was only a dream…_

I remembered the deal I had made with Lisbeth three days prior.

_Now… it'll all be over. But… is that really what I want?_

I got up and headed for the shower, turning it on right as I got to the bathroom. I adjusted the temperature so that the water was scalding hot, then I stepped in and started to think.

_I need to forget… so I can move on in my life. But… I don't _want_ to forget… never…_

Somewhere in my thought process, tears began building up in my eyes. When I finished showering and went back to my room, I noticed a single sketch on my wall, hung like a tapestry next to my mirror. A picture of me in a deadlock with a kendo fighter I don't remember, from when I participated in the Tokyo Kendo Championship for the first time.

I walked over to it, flipping it over and seeing an address written in extremely messy handwriting.

A small sniffle escaped me, and before I knew it, I was a sobbing mess on the floor.

"Onii-chan, what's wrong?!" Suguha asked frantically, running into my room.

She scanned the room, finding the answer in the now flipped over sketch.

"You still haven't gotten over it, huh…" Suguha said gently, pulling me into a comforting embrace.

I stayed silent, allowing myself to be vulnerable in front of somebody for the first time in years. Anything negative she said could send me spiraling back into depression.

"Onii-chan… you're not alone… you have me, your aunt… your friends… we can all help you move forward. You just have to let us."

"Th-thank you…"

* * *

Making sure to take the computer with me in a cardboard box, I left my house and began to cross into Sachi's yard.

_This yard was once… no! I can't get depressed again!_

I set the box down, opened the door with the key they gave me, and picked the box back up, going inside and shutting the door behind me.

When I reached Sachi's room, I set the box with my computer in the corner and walked over to her bed.

"Sachi…" I whispered, gently shaking her arm to wake her up.

"Kazuto… good morning…" Sachi said, yawning quietly.

"Good morning, Sachi…"

"So… will your friend come back today?"

_Was she aware of my conversation with Lisbeth three days ago?_

"Yeah, that's right. She's going to help me move past something… by helping me forget about it."

Sachi chuckled lightly. "Silly… doesn't mean you have to forget… too."

My eyes widened, and I sat there, dumbfounded.

"I'm tired… wake me up later, okay…?"

"All right… goodnight, Sachi."

With that, she fell back asleep.

Lunchtime came far faster than I wanted, and I soon heard a knock on the door.

"Coming!" I shouted as I neared the door.

"Hey, Kazuto!" Lisbeth said with cheer. She pointed to the two people beside her, saying, "These are two of my club-mates, Argo and Coper."

"I'm guessing that Argo is just your screen name," I assumed while looking at said person.

"Yes."

"So what's your real name?"

Coper chimed in with, "She doesn't even give her real name to the teachers, let alone other students. I wouldn't try getting it if I were you."

"Oh, I see."

"Well anyway, we'll take this computer of yours and let you know when we're finished!" Lisbeth exclaimed.

"All right, let me go get it."

It was then that I heard three stomachs growl in unison.

"You guys have synchronized stomachs, apparently. Let me go call Sachi's parents and ask them if you can eat here."

"Thanks!" Coper said.

An hour later, we had finished eating and they were heading out the door with my computer.

"Take care, guys. Come back on another day to show me the results!"

"Will do!" Coper shouted back as he carried the box to his car.

When they were all in the car, we said our goodbyes one last time before they drove off.

When I went back inside, I immediately went to Sachi's room to see if she needed anything. Fortunately, she had been asleep the whole time that Lisbeth and her club-mates had been there.

I went back outside her room, coming back with some food and a drink.

"Sachi… wake up, it's time to eat…" I gently prodded her.

When she awakened, I helped her sit upright, letting her eat as much as she could on her own and catching any food that she dropped.

When she finished eating, I asked, "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"Yeah… hey, Kazuto?"

"Yes?"

"Lay down next to me, at least until I fall asleep."

I almost choked.

_Maybe this is the next step to moving on…_

"Sure thing, Sachi."

Long after she fell asleep, I lay awake, deep in thought… until I heard the front door opening.

I jumped up and smoothed out my clothes, walking out of Sachi's room to greet her parents.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Takamachi!"

"Hello, Kazuto! How did your friends like my cooking?" Ritsu asked.

"They loved it just as much as I do, and you know how much _I _love your cooking," I smiled.

"That's good to hear!" Daisuke said. "So, how has Sachi been doing?"

"She's been doing well, for the most part. She still has a little trouble with eating, so I helped her out a little with that. When will she begin therapy to help her regain the ability to walk?" I inquired.

"They said that it should begin in a few days. I know this is asking a lot, but would you be able to accompany her to those sessions, Kazuto?" Ritsu requested.

Reassuring them, I said, "Sure, it's no trouble at all!"

"We can't thank you enough for how much help you've been, and still are being!" Daisuke praised, patting me on the back yet again.

"I agree!" Ritsu said gleefully.

"Really, it's no trouble."

"Well, we'll take it from here, Kazuto. I'm sure your cousin is waiting for you. See you tomorrow!" Daisuke said happily, ushering me out the door.

"See you two tomorrow," I returned his parting words, beginning to walk back over to my house.

* * *

When I entered the house, I saw Asuna talking with Suguha.

I walked over to them. "Hey."

"Hey!" they shouted simultaneously, sounding awfully suspicious.

Deciding to ignore it, I said, "I'm going to bed… I'm exhausted. G'night."

I walked into my room, immediately collapsing onto my bed and falling into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of my happy memories with… _her_.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Well, ****_that_**** happened. I noticed that my most recent chapter wasn't as popular, so I came out with a new one ASAP to hopefully keep your interest.**

**Now, you may have already noticed that chapter one of "Crossing Blades, Crossing Hearts" is out. (Though it's actually a prologue.) I'm going to be working on that story alongside this one, even though it takes place before this story. This may get confusing for those who try to read both at once, so beware of that.**

**Anyway, it's time for the line that everyone hates the most! (Oddly enough, it's not, "I lost the game"!)**

**I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters!**

**See ya!**


	5. A Day Off

The Kendo Club

Chapter Five: A Day Off

* * *

**Beginning A/N:**

**This chapter is about exactly what the title says: Kazuto getting a day off!**

**For a certain guest who flamed me, I must tell you: I can do whatever I want with my story, and if you've got a beef with my methods, then make an account so I can respond. I don't care if you dis my work, but calling me a son of a b**** is taking it too far. **

**Anyway, to get back on track, I must tell you that chapter three of my other story, "The League of Blades," is making HUGE progress, so it's taking priority over this one until I can get the next chapter published. My top priority, however, is the prequel to this story, "Crossing Blades, Crossing Hearts," simply because a smitten Kirito is fun to write about.**

**With all that in mind, have a fun read!**

* * *

_When I entered the house, I saw Asuna talking with Suguha. _

_I walked over to them. "Hey."_

_"Hey!" they shouted simultaneously, sounding awfully suspicious._

_Deciding to ignore it, I said, "I'm going to bed… I'm exhausted. G'night."_

_I walked into my room, immediately collapsing onto my bed and falling into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of my happy memories with… __**her**__._

* * *

When I awoke, I was greeted by a truly astonishing sight.

Asuna was in my room by my mirror, wearing a hairband, but that wasn't the part that shocked me.

The headband was… _hers_.

_But that hairband was in my closet! And… why the hell is she in my room in the first place?!_

"Oh, you're awake! I was cleaning your room, and I found this in your closet. I decided to try it on, and… oh…" she trailed off, noticing my seething expression.

"Give me… the headband… and GET THE **** OUT OF MY ROOM! NEVER COME BACK IN HERE AGAIN!"

"O-okay! I'm leaving!" she stuttered in fright, throwing me the headband and running out of my room.

I sighed, regretting my actions. _I'm sorry, Asuna… but… that was horrible… then again, you didn't know…_

I walked out of the room to take a shower, greeted by an angry Suguha. "What the heck did you do to her, Onii-chan?"

"I… I snapped at her for putting on _her_ headband…"

"… I see. Go apologize."

"All right."

I looked around the house until I found her, cleaning my aunt's study.

"Asuna… I'm sorry."

"No… I should apologize. You told me before never to enter your room."

"But… that wasn't why I was mad. I was mad because… you took and wore a very important keepsake of mine," I said sadly.

"Oh…"

"It's one of the only things I have left… of _her_…"

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you talking about?" Asuna queried tentatively.

I looked at her with a depressed expression. "She… she was my first crush… no, more than that. She was the first… if not only… girl I ever loved," I said miserably, my eyes tearing up.

"Oh, I'm sorry… wait, you said she was the only girl you've loved. If you're able to talk about it, could you please tell me what happened?"

"I-I can't… I'm sorry. You deserve an explanation, but I'm just not ready to give one to _anyone_," I said, rubbing my eyes to clear the tears.

"Hey, don't worry about it. When you're ready to talk, I'll always be ready to listen," Asuna comforted.

_"Onii-chan… you're not alone… you have me, your aunt… your friends… we can all help you move forward. You just have to let us."_

"All right… when I'm ready."

"By the way, about your job—"

"CRAP! That's right, I have to get to Sachi's house!"

"No, wait! They called and said they're staying at home for once, and that you can have the day off!"

"… huh?"

"Yup! You get a day off today!" Suguha said, walking up to us.

"I see. Well, I have an idea of what I want to do. Sugu, are you up for a morning spar before I leave?"

"Are you insane?!"

"I'll take that as a no. Does the Kendo Club have activities today?" I asked, hoping for a yes.

"Yep! They're going to face off against my club, the fencing club!" Asuna chimed in.

"_Why_?"

"Our clubs hate each other, so every summer, we face off against each other in a tournament."

"What rules do you use?"

"Anything goes, aside from head and groin shots. Hitting someone in those areas subtracts a point, and any other hit is one point. The first person to land five points is the winner."

I smirked. "I know what I'm doing today… Asuna, are you competing?"

She returned the smirk. "Of course! How could the Fencing Club president not participate in the tournament, especially when she's the undefeated champion?"

"Undefeated, eh? Let's fix that, shall we?"

"Bring it on, _Black Swordsman_."

"I hope you give me a challenge, _Flash_."

And with that, she left the house, a smug look on her face.

_This is gonna be fun._

* * *

An hour later, I was out of the house and into the streets. Then, I realized something crucial.

_I have no idea where the tournament is taking place!_

I heard footsteps run up from behind me. "Hey, Kazuto-chi!"

_Strea._

"The tournament is at the school, if that's where you're headed. I figured the skank would _forget_ to tell you where to go for the tournament," Strea said, adding finger quotes to the word forget.

I looked at her, realization dawning on my face. _Wait… Asuna did that on purpose! She didn't want me to come in and steal the title!_

"It looks like you understand. Anyway, let's go, so you can show the Fencing Club your power!"

* * *

When we arrived at the school, I noticed that there were a bunch of people just standing there, waiting for the tournament to start.

_This must be a popular event, huh?_

"Hey, it's Kazuto!" someone shouted from my left.

"Dude, congrats on getting into the Fencing Versus Kendo showdown! I heard that only the eight best of each club get to fight in it!" Ducker said, running up to me.

"D-Ducker!"

"Yeah, congratulations!"

"Good job!"

"I knew you could do it, man."

And just like that, I found myself surrounded by my old friends from the Computer Research Club.

"Hey guys…"

"Hey, come on! We're not mad at you. If anything, we're glad you were able to take the initiative and join a new club!" Ducker said jubilantly.

"Thanks, guys."

"Well, the tournament starts in about two minutes, so you'd better go get some weapons!" Keita said.

"Right!"

I went over to where they kept the Shinai for the tournament, finding two left.

_Perfect._

Walking to where I presumed the bracket would be, I was surprised to see a box meant to hold scraps of paper in it. It looked as if there was only one scrap left, so I took it.

_Why does it have the number seven on it? Wait, does that mean that the tournament bracket is set up by drawing lots?_

I looked above the box, and sure enough, there was a bracket with numbers on it instead of names.

_So I fight number eight, huh? I wonder what poor sap has to face me…_

"I feel sorry for whoever got number seven," someone in the crowd said.

I walked up to her, saying, "Why is that?"

"Well, whoever it is will face Strea in the first round, and if they win, they face Klein next. If they pull _that_ one off, they fight Asuna in the semi-finals. If they can pull off a feat as amazing as beating her, they have to fight Alice in the finals."

"By any chance, would the Alice you're talking about be Alice Shuberg?" I inquired through clenched teeth.

"Y-yeah, why?"

"Looks like seven is my lucky number…"

And with that, I walked away.

_It's time for that b**** to get what's been coming to her for a long time. I'm gonna make her wish she'd never been born!_

When I walked onto the practice mat, I noted the increase in Strea's stability when getting into form.

_This'll be fun._

I watched that same blonde walk up, saying, "All right, I'll be the referee! I'm sure you know the rules!"

I settled into my counter style, planning to start the same way I did with Klein.

"Three…"

_Heh, let's see her defend against an all-out assault!_

"Strea, it's nothing personal, but you're just a roadblock right now. I need to advance."

"Two…"

Her eyes widened with shock. I instantly regretted having said what I did.

"One…"

_Well, nothing I can do about it now…_

"GO!"

I charged, meeting her left Shinai with my own and hitting it again with my right, causing it to fly out of her hands.

I pivoted on my feet, hitting Strea in the stomach with my right Shinai and blocking her right Shinai with my left. I jumped back, waiting for her to make a move.

_Point one._

"Come on, at least give me a little trouble! You should want revenge for being called a roadblock!"

She looked at me, fire starting to show through her tear-filled eyes.

She ran to grab her other Shinai, retrieving it and charging at me.

She attacked ferociously, giving me little time to think.

"That's it, keep roaring, Strea!" I exclaimed while blocking her every move.

I may not have had much time to think, but that didn't matter. I didn't need to think. All I had to do was… react.

I made a strike on her left arm with my left Shinai, knocking her off balance.

_Point two._

She thrusted her right Shinai at me, and I batted it to my left, landing a jab of my own on her pressure point by her neck. She dropped to her knees, groaning.

_Point three._

I saw mean looks from Strea's boy toys, but I paid them no mind.

_I have to fight Alice… and make her PAY!_

I waited for her to get up, expecting her stubbornness to pull through for her. Instead, all I got was a despondent, "I give up…"

"What?"

"You heard me… I give up."

I walked over to her. "Strea… I'm sorry I called you a roadblock…"

"No, I understand… there's someone you have to face, right? I don't know why you have to face them, but good luck," she said sadly, shakily trying to get up.

I let go of my swords, grabbed her arm and pulled her up, slinging her arm around my shoulder. "It'll be hard to walk, so I'll help you out until we can find you a place to sit."

"Thank you…" she said softly.

"Friends help each other out, don't they?"

Walking back out to the mat, I noticed another fight going on between Klein and a fencer, who was quickly being outmatched by Klein.

_So that's how Klein fights without using nito… huh. He's good!_

"That's who you fight next."

I turned around to see Asuna walking up to me. "You'd better win so we can fight in the semi-finals."

I decided to be at least half-honest. "I don't care about fighting Klein _or_ you. To me, you're just roadblocks in the way of my fight with Alice. I don't care who I have to fight to get there, as long as I get to beat her."

Asuna looked at me with a shocked expression. "Why? Why do you want to fight Alice so badly?"

"No, I don't want to fight her. I want to make her regret ever knowing me. I want to make her feel terror at the very mention of my name. That's _all_."

She looked at me, fear evident in her features. "W-what are you willing to do to accomplish your goal?"

I smirked in a fashion that only the devil could match. "I'll do _anything_."

I walked away, eagerly anticipating my fights with Klein, then Asuna, and then… finally… Alice.

_I won't stop until you're left begging for mercy! Get ready, Alice Shuberg!_

An hour later, it was time for the second round, and my match with Klein.

I walked up on the mat to meet him, saying, "Nothing personal, but… I'm gonna take you down. You're in my way, and I don't care for that."

"Fine by me if you want to try!"

I began to strategize.

_Would that… yeah, that'll work! This'll be way too easy._

"Three…"

We tensed our muscles for battle.

"Two…"

We analyzed each other's stances.

"One…"

We locked eyes, gentle chocolate brown meeting with fiery steel gray.

"GO!"

This time, he took the initiative to charge and strike.

Unfortunately for him, I had just the move to counter.

When he swung his one Shinai sideways, I hit him in the wrist with my left Shinai, causing his hand to snap open in pain and drop his bamboo blade.

I put my other Shinai to his neck, saying, "I win," in a low tone.

"Whoa, you weren't kidding around! Are you out for revenge or something?"

"Something like that."

And with that, I walked away to watch the next match.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, I heard someone walk up from behind me.

"Kazuto."

I didn't even need to look behind me to know who it was.

_This… is her._

"Alice."

"It looks like you'll be facing Asuna in the semi-finals. Hopefully you beat her, if only for us to resolve our problems."

"Resolve them? _Resolve_ them?" I said, finishing off with an ominous laugh. "There's no way that the damage you've done could _ever_ be resolved. The only thing that could ever resolve it is for you to be in the same situation, for you to know what it _feels_ like, with _every fiber of your being_. But sadly, that can't happen."

"W-what the hell happened to you, Kazuto?" Alice asked in fright.

"Heartbreak. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to my match."

* * *

When I walked onto the mat, I saw an angry Asuna staring at me, a wooden rapier in her right hand.

"I'm not going to say anything other than this… you're going down. Hard."

"Three…"

We got into our stances, though I noticed that hers was slightly off, as if she was more than just angry.

_This'll be too easy._

"Two…"

We locked eyes, and she widened hers when she saw the fire in mine.

"One…"

I tensed to charge.

"GO!"

I ran forward, appearing before her with a speed that seemed unattainable to most people.

She blocked my left-handed strike with her rapier, but I eased my right-handed strike around it and onto her collar bone. Bringing my right Shinai back up, I knocked her rapier aside and hit her twice in the stomach, sending her reeling back.

_Points one, two, and three._

I jumped back, waiting for her to make a move.

She gripped her wooden rapier tighter, charging at me. I responded by bringing my right Shinai up onto her rapier, while also bringing my left Shinai down on it, snapping it in half.

Asuna gaped, along with the rest of the audience.

"And Kazuto is the winner!" the blonde announcer screamed, eliciting cheers from the onlookers.

I walked away, eagerly anticipating my next match.

"Dude, you're freaking amazing!" Ducker said, walking up to me.

"No… I've just got a purpose for winning."

"What's that?" he queried.

"I can't tell you. All I can tell you is that Alice is gonna get what's been coming to her for a long time."

And with that, I walked back to the mat, the other semi-final match only having taken a minute.

I noticed her odd weapon choice being double wooden rapiers, though these were thicker than Asuna's.

_Which means they'll be too hard to break._

"Well, are you ready to beg for mercy?" I asked her, smirking like the devil himself.

"Three…"

She looked at me, eyes clouded. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened…"

"Two…"

"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT! Now, let's make this as long and painful as possible."

"One…"

I looked at her with what I was sure was a deranged expression, judging by the look of terror on her face. It quickly hardened.

"GO!"

I charged with my greatest speed yet, appearing before her so fast that she didn't have time to react.

I hit her twice as hard as I could in the stomach, sending her flying.

She got up shakily, but before she could charge, I was on her again, jabbing her left shoulder.

"Aagh!"

She dropped her right rapier in favor of nursing her injured shoulder.

I faltered, remembering an all-too-similar scene from middle school.

_It's ironic that _that_ scene is the one I'd remember…_

By the time I had come out of my flashback, Alice was charging at me, her rapiers back in her hands.

_How long was I out?!_

I blocked barrage after barrage of strikes, not having the heart to strike back after what I saw.

_No! She's the one… she's the one who made _her_ life a living hell!_

My anger returning, I struck her right rapier with such force that it spun her around, allowing me to get a strike in on her back and send her toppling to her knees.

"Lights out."

I struck her in the neck, knocking her out and securing my victory.

I felt empty.

I had defeated her, and that's what I'd wanted, but…

_That was my objective, and now that I've accomplished it… I feel empty. I feel sick._

The crowd was silent. I expected them to boo me for hitting her in the neck, so I was completely caught off guard when I heard clapping… then cheering… then whistling.

_Why…?_

I walked away, sickened by the cheers in response to my knocking a girl out, regardless of what she had done in the past.

When I got back home, I immediately grabbed some clothes from my room and headed for the showers.

_What was the point of all that…? I thought getting revenge would finally satisfy the hate I felt… allow me to move on from my bitterness… but it didn't. It didn't fix a thing. I'm sorry, Alice._

When I got out of the shower, I headed to my room and logged on to Sword Art Online for the first time in weeks.

_Holy crap! No one has beat the seventy-fifth floor boss yet?! Well, I guess it's my time to shine!"_

After an hour of hard gameplay, I finally soloed the seventy-fifth floor boss.

_How the hell I pulled that off, I don't even know! The Eclipse is freaking _broken_!_

I logged off and almost instantly felt the day's exhaustion and guilt wash over me.

_Well, I'll probably be able to forget about it at Sachi's place tomorrow._

With that hope in my mind, I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

When I arrived at Sachi's house, I found Ritsu and Daisuke rushing out the door.

"What's the rush? Am I late?"

"No, you're actually a little early. One of Daisuke's meetings got pushed from eight to seven, so we're leaving early. It's a good thing you came early, otherwise we might've been late! All right honey, let's go!" Ritsu said in a rush.

"Finally! Thanks, Kazuto! You really pulled through for us! Bye now!"

And with that, they rushed out the door, leaving me alone in the front room.

_Well, I'd better check on Sachi._

I walked to her room, and when I opened the door, I was surprised to find Sachi sitting up in bed.

_What did I miss on my day off?!_

"Hey, Kazuto…" she said, still sounding a little drowsy.

"Hey, Sachi."

I went to sit next to her, and she grabbed onto my shoulders.

I nearly choked in surprise.

"Sorry… I still have small problems sitting up by myself," she said, seeing my shock.

"No, don't worry about it. I was just a little surprised, that's all," I said gently.

"That's good."

A comfortable silence ensued, with her leaning on my shoulder, and me looking around her room, reminiscing about all the times I had been there.

In a few minutes, I heard her breathing even out and I knew she was asleep. I helped her lay back down, whispering, "Sweet dreams, Sachi."

* * *

About an hour later, when I was about to nod off myself, I heard the front door open.

_It's probably Lisbeth, coming to clean. Maybe she finished with my old computer, and is also coming to tell me of her failure._

The person, whoever it was, headed straight for Sachi's room, opening it and walking over to me.

_So it is Lisbeth._

"I'm so sorry, Kazuto…" she said, her eyes tearing up.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Everyone fails sometimes, and I gave you an almost impossible task."

"B-but I didn't fail… and the files… I'm sorry for looking at them!"

"Hey now, I said you could look—"

Realization dawned on my face.

_Oh, shit._

* * *

**A/N:**

**And… Kazuto shows us one of his messed up sides yet again!**

**I had fun writing the "I'm out for revenge!" Kazuto, but then my morbid enjoyment was ruined when I realized I had to make him human and add the stereotypical, "I feel empty…" bit. Oh well, I guess it makes him appear slightly less devil-like, and more down (or in this case, up) to earth. That's a plus.**

**Anyway, for those of you wondering, I'm almost done with chapter three of TLoB (The League of Blades) and it'll be SIXTEEN THOUSAND WORDS! (I couldn't find a good way to break it up.) So yeah, get ready for that!**

**All right, it's time for everyone's least favorite line! (I'm not going to say, "I lost the game" anymore, seeing as I think I pissed off some of my readers.)**

**I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters!**

**See ya later!**


	6. Revelations

The Kendo Club

Chapter Six: Revelations

* * *

**Beginning A/N:**

**Hey everybody! I'm proud to announce that I hit FIFTY followers for this story! Let's shoot for the level of ESR, people! :D**

**Which reminds me, I've also hit four thousand ****_views_****! Not as much as ESR yet again, but it's second by FAR.**

**Anyway, this chapter will set out a very vague back story that will be written in detail in the prologue. Basically, it recounts some of the events in the prologue, while completely skipping over most of the others.**

**With that in mind, have a fun read!**

* * *

_About an hour later, when I was about to nod off myself, I heard the front door open._

**_It's probably Lisbeth, coming to clean. Maybe she finished with my old computer, and is also coming to tell me of her failure._**

_The person, whoever it was, headed straight for Sachi's room, opening it and walking over to me._

_So it is Lisbeth._

_"I'm so sorry, Kazuto…" she said, her eyes tearing up._

_"Hey, don't worry about it. Everyone fails sometimes, and I gave you an almost impossible task."_

_"B-but I didn't fail… and the files… I'm sorry for looking at them!"_

_"Hey now, I said you could look—"_

_Realization dawned on my face._

**_Oh, shit._**

* * *

"Kazuto? Look, I'm sorry! Please don't be mad!"

I looked at her tear-filled face, my own look of shock fading.

"Don't worry about it… but… do you want to know the truth?"

She sniffed. "Yeah."

"Well, first off, I only gave you my computer because I expected you to fail, and then the data that I didn't have the heart to delete would be out of my life forever. I felt like if that happened, I could move on… and find love again," I said sadly, my bangs covering my eyes.

"You probably read my journal files, so you should know why I hate Alice, as well as why I try as hard as I can not to fall in love," I continued.

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry, I'm not mad at you for looking through my journal files. While I'm shocked that you actually succeeded, a deal is a deal. I brought it upon myself for underestimating your abilities."

Her face began to brighten, so I continued.

"You must have noticed that I never said her name in any of my journal files. That's because… I deleted it. I replaced her name with the words 'her' or 'she,' for two reasons. The first reason… if anyone found my files, looked through them, and told me about what they saw, I was sure I would break down. The second… before I tried to move on, I read them over and over, from the first to the last, in order to relive the happy times, as well as the sad. When I tried to move on, I decided to replace every single line that had her name in it, so that I wouldn't be able to relive it either, ever again. It was my own petty way of deleting her from my memories… and it didn't work.

"I tried to move on, to forget about her, but whenever I heard one of my friends say a girl looked cute or hot, all I could see when I looked at those girls was… _her_. When I tried to describe anyone else as pretty, I felt disgusted with myself, as if I was _betraying_ her. I couldn't get her out of my head."

"That's so sad…" Lisbeth whispered.

"All that was… before I met Sachi."

"What?"

"Near the end of my last year of middle school, I became known as the 'dead kid,' because I was so depressed that I couldn't respond to the teachers, to the other kids in my classes, or anyone else. Not even my own family. I was literally ready to take my own life, just so I could end the suffering I felt every day."

Lisbeth's eyes widened in shock.

"The day I planned on doing it, I bumped into Sachi in one of the hallways of my school. She was so innocent, she just reminded me of her so much, even though they looked nothing alike.

"I felt like I could move on a little if I stayed with her, so I befriended her. It worked for the most part. Then… last school year, I got another premonition. You read my journal files, so you know that I get those fairly often."

She nodded, and I could see her connecting the dots in her head.

"I felt like something terrible was going to happen to Sachi. I didn't know what it would be, so I tried to stick with her as much as possible. She didn't mind.

"Then… the morning of the car crash came. I woke up late, Suguha having intentionally turned off my alarm as payback for ignoring her. When I headed off to school… well, you know what I saw.

"I… felt sick. For the rest of the day, all I could think about was how yet another person close to me had left me. The next day, I heard from Sachi's parents. They said that she was in a coma, but she was doing fine physically. I remembered what had happened with _her_, and so I decided to visit Sachi every day until she either woke up… or died. I know it's horrible to say, but I didn't care about her living as much as I did about making sure I was there when she either returned to our world… or left it for good. All I wanted was to _be_ there.

"Hate me if you want, but you know exactly why I felt that way… why I dropped kendo," I finished, tears forming as I began to get lost in the nightmares of my past.

"I could never hate you, Kazuto… despite what you said, I know you care about Sachi a _lot_, as well as all your other friends," Lisbeth said, snapping me out of my nightmare.

She pulled me into a hug, and I didn't resist.

"Thank you… Lisbeth."

I heard rustling coming from Sachi's bed.

"What are you guys," a yawn cut her off. "Doing…?"

Lisbeth jumped away faster than I could swing a Shinai, saying, "W-well, I'd better get back to cleaning!"

_She probably didn't even bring her supplies…_

"She was comforting me… helping me move on a little."

She sat up, and I went over to her so she could lean on me, which she did.

"I'm glad… you let someone help you…"

_Not intentionally…_ "Yeah."

"Well… could you help me get up…? I'm hungry… and I want to eat somewhere other than my bed."

"Sure," I said gently.

* * *

A few minutes later, I sat her down in the dining room and went to get the food Ritsu left for us in the fridge.

_Wow, she prepared quite the spread._

When I got back from bringing the last of the food to the table, I noticed that Sachi had a troubled look on her face.

"Sachi? What's wrong?"

"… is it true?"

"What?"

_Crap! How much did she hear?_

"From what I heard… it seems like I was just a replacement for this girl… was I just a tool to help you move past the pain of losing the other girl?"

I saw tears building up in the corners of her eyes.

_What…?_

"Sachi… I'm sorry."

The tears started to fall.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way. That's not it at all. I do truly care for you, and no matter what happens, that won't change," I said, reaching over to her and wiping the tears from her face with my fingers.

"Kazuto… thank you. That means a lot."

"I was only saying the truth. Now, do you think you can eat okay by yourself?" I asked, smiling gently.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

After a few minutes of eating in silence, with her leaning on my right shoulder for support, I remembered something.

"Where did Lisbeth go?"

"She probably… left…" Sachi trailed off, starting to get sleepy from eating.

"Yeah, I guess. Would you like me to help you get back to your bed? I know you're tired."

She shook her head, whispering, "No… I want to be out here… with you…"

For the faintest of moments, I thought I saw a hint of red stain her cheeks. Then, just as quickly as it came, it vanished.

My features softened, and I said, "All right, but let's go somewhere more comfortable, like… the sofa over there."

I helped her up, walking her over to the sofa. We sat down, and she leaned on my right shoulder. I put my right arm around her shoulders, and soon she fell into a deep sleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

_This peace isn't going to last long… I saw a paper next to the bracket at the Kendo versus Fencing tournament yesterday, and…_

I shivered.

_I'll have to enter the prefecture tournament later this summer… that's what winning the Kendo versus Fencing tournament earned me… and when I win that, I have to go to the Tokyo championship, and then… the regional championship, all the way up to…_

I began to feel nauseous, remembering the last time I entered.

_What if… history repeats itself?_

I thought about losing on purpose, but immediately dismissed the thought. _No, my pride won't allow that, and I can't quit the Kendo Club now. I'm stuck unless someone comes along who can beat my Nito-ryu._

I found myself getting tired, and soon I fell into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of the last national tournament.

* * *

_Just after I got back from the semi-finals, I heard my manager walk up behind me._

_"What do you want, coach?" I asked irritably._

_"Someone called your cell phone. It was the hospital, so I answered and kept them on the line. She said it was urgent."_

_My eyes widened, and I turned around, snatching my phone from his hand and putting it to my ear. "Hello?"_

_"Kazuto, come quick!"_

_"Aiko?! What's happening?"_

_"She's in critical condition! Get your ass over here!"_

_I gasped._

_"Just a heads up, kid, but the final match with Eugeo is in fifteen minutes," my manager told me._

_"I DON'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT THE DAMNED MATCH RIGHT NOW!" I yelled, running out of my training room, out the building, and into the streets._

_When I finally arrived at the hospital, I rushed up to her room, using the card the hospital gave me to open the door._

_When I arrived, I saw Aiko looking at me with tears in her eyes. "Kazuto… I'm sorry."_

_Tears welled up in my eyes. I tried as hard as I could not to let them fall, like a dam trying to hold off a flood._

_"You mean…"_

_"Yeah…"_

_The dam broke._

* * *

I awoke to someone shaking me.

"Kazuto, please snap out of it!"

"Sachi? What's going on…?" I queried, trying to keep my pounding heart under control.

"You were having a nightmare… you were saying someone's name, and you were squirming around. Eventually, you started yelling, and…" tears started to build up in her eyes.

I instantly remembered what happened in my nightmare, shuddering. "I'm sorry I woke you up, Sachi. I just… all the talking about my past from earlier today made me have a nightmare… I'm sorry for putting you through that."

"It's okay… but Kazuto?"

"Yeah?"

"… It's nothing."

"All right. Do you want me to help you get back to sleep? I won't do that again, don't worry."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

An hour later, she had fallen asleep. When I was about to nod off again, I heard the front door open.

"We went in early, so we decided to come home early. By the way, why isn't she in bed?" Daisuke asked, walking up to us.

"She wanted to eat lunch at the table, and I figured it was okay for her to do, since we're going to have her go through walking rehab in a few days anyway. I helped her get there, and when we finished lunch, she didn't want to go back to her bed, so I suggested we go to the next most comfortable place. That way she could still get good rest, to some extent. Sorry if that's not okay."

"I see," Ritsu said, walking to the kitchen. "Well, I like that you're willing to appease her, yet you're still trying to look after her well-being."

"Yeah. Though I'm not exactly happy about it, I still think it's good that you had the sense to let her sleep somewhere comfortable enough for her to get some rest. Some people would have let her just sleep at the table."

"Sorry, but I have to go. I've got to practice my kendo so I'm not rusty when school starts back up."

_Half true. I need to practice for the tournament, but it works for that purpose as well._

"All right! Make sure to train well! I don't want you to lose the prefecture tournament!" Daisuke said proudly.

"W-what? You knew about it?" I inquired in shock. "Wait, what about Sachi? I need to look after her."

Ritsu interjected with, "Actually, we talked to the doctors about it. They said it would be good for her to experience stimulus. She'll probably be aware enough to watch you fight! Besides, she always said she wanted to see you in action!"

"T-thank you so much! I'll be going now!" I bowed my head, heading for the door.

"Oh, and Kazuto?" Daisuke said from behind me.

"Yeah?"

"Make sure and win the tournament for our daughter!"

I turned around, giving them a thumbs up. "You can count on it!"

With that, I left, heading home to practice.

* * *

When I entered the dojo in my backyard, I saw a picture of… _her_.

_That's right. I'm gonna win it this time, so make sure you're watching me!_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Hopefully this chapter, though a little short, will tide you over until the next update! The next update might come a little further off, because I'm fresh out of ideas. I'll get some soon, so don't worry!**

**By the way, I'm creating yet another rewrite for ESR, simply because I'm completely out of ideas for any other stories. For any of you who read ESR, please tell me which version you like better.**

**Anyone who has read the light novels and knows who Aiko is has probably already figured out who Kirito's mystery girl is, and maybe what happened.**

**Also, I'm probably going to hold off on the prologue until I finish this story.**

**With all that out of the way, I'll do it! I'll say it!**

**I LOST THE GAME!**

**… how many of you did I just piss off? **

**Anyway, here's the disclaimer!**

**I don't own Sword Art Online, its video game adaptation, its characters, or anything else I borrow from it!**

**See ya!**


	7. Training Part I

The Kendo Club

Chapter Seven: Training Part I

* * *

**Beginning A/N:**

**I honestly have no idea where I'm going with this story. All I know at this point is that I can basically do anything I want with it until the tournaments start, that I have wiggle room in between the tournaments, and that the ending has already been decided.**

**Well, I can't do anything now but mess around with my story until the first tournament comes up.**

**Anyway, I'll see you at the bottom A/N!**

**Have a fun read!**

******EDIT: I must inform you that I'm in a slump for this story, and I might take months to get over it. In the mean time, if you guys vote for me to publish it, you can read the sequel to this story. I won't give any details away yet, but I'll say this: it'll have a lot more action. I'm not sure how much of the harem element will come into play at first, but I can assure you that it will be a harem fic... eventually. So thanks for reading this far, and I hope you can wait to read the rest!**

******EDIT #2: I've decided that I won't be updating anything until I get at least ten votes on the poll deciding whether I should write the sequel to this story. I know it might seem weird to do that, but I'm kinda out of ideas for all of my other stories for now, and yet the sequel to this story is giving me nothing but inspiration.**

* * *

_When I entered the dojo in my backyard, I saw a picture of… her._

_That's right. I'm gonna win it this time, so make sure you're watching me!_

* * *

The next few days were a blur. All I did was take care of Sachi, practice for the tournament, eat, and sleep. Even then, the latter two didn't happen very often.

On one particular Saturday morning, I was eating breakfast at Sachi's house when I remembered that practice was in a few hours.

_They said that Sachi would be okay to go outside, but should I risk it? I guess I'll just ask Sachi directly._

I finished breakfast and walked into Sachi's room, and saw her sitting up in bed.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Hey, Kazuto… you need to go to practice, right?" she asked quietly.

I faltered. _How did she know?_

"Y-yeah, but if you don't want me to, I'll—"

"No, I want to go with you. I haven't been outside in over a month. My parents said it would be all right, and I want to see you fight."

"Well… all right. If you feel like it's too much at any time, than tell me and we'll come back."

"You worry too much. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Let's go."

"Hold up. Practice isn't for another few hours. Let's get you some breakfast, and then we'll head out early. I need to warm up at home before practice anyway, and I have a mini-dojo in my backyard. It won't be as exciting as practice with actual people, but it'll have to do until later today."

I helped her eat her breakfast then helped her walk over to my house.

Sugu walked out the front door, saying sternly, "Onii-chan, what are you doing back so— oh, hi Sachi! So you're allowed out now?"

"Yeah. I'm going to watch Kazuto practice for the tournament later today, and he said he wanted to warm up in his backyard dojo first."

_Wow, she can talk a lot easier now._

"Onii-chan… her parents allowed this, right?"

"Yeah," I affirmed.

"All right. Hey, do you want to spar against me? I've been practicing my nito just for something like this."

_If Sugu wants to fight me, she must have been practicing pretty hard. Might as well see how it's paid off._

"Sure. It'll be more entertaining than fighting against targets that break in four hits."

As I stared her down, I couldn't help but notice the confident smile on her face.

_This'll be over quickly if she stays cocky like that… well, at least it'll give Sachi some entertainment._

"All right, we're going with informal style, so no gear, and literally anything goes."

_It's not like anyone else I know uses proper gear anyway…_ I thought, annoyed.

"We'll go to ten points, and each hit is worth one point. How about it?"

"As long as you try not to aim for my manhood, I think I'll be fine," I replied.

"All right, deal."

Sachi chimed in with, "I'll be referee. Three…"

We locked eyes, noting the fiery passion that burned in each of us.

"Two…"

She tensed her muscles to charge. In turn, I tensed my muscles to counter.

"One…"

_I'm sorry, Sugu, but there's no way in hell that I'm gonna let you win._

"Go!"

She charged, putting all her power into it.

_Mistake number one._

I easily sidestepped, ducking down and swiping at her legs. When my Shinai made contact, it sent her stumbling across the mat.

_Point one._

She got up, not even fazed.

_That's my sister!_

She charged again, and I responded with another sidestep, followed by a swift strike to her back… which she blocked.

I jumped back, beginning to charge in myself.

_My turn._

_CLACK!_

With our Shinai in a deadlock, I gave some thought as to how I could beat her.

_She's much more cautious than I anticipated, and our skills are more or less even. The only way I'll be able to beat her will be by overwhelming her with speed and strength._

We both jumped back. I was the first to charge back in, catching her off guard.

I aimed a downward strike to her right shoulder with my left Shinai, and when she tried to block it, I quickly ducked and struck her in the legs again, making her topple over.

_Point two._

"That it?"

"Like hell!"

I jumped back, waiting for her to get up. When she did, I immediately charged at her and struck her twice in the abdomen, sending her reeling back.

_She has low endurance, that's for sure. She must not be used to having the full weight of a Shinai in her left hand._

She came charging at me again, aiming a downward strike at my left shoulder. I dodged, swinging horizontally at her left shoulder with my right Shinai. When she blocked it with her left Shinai, I struck her side with my left, making her fall down in pain.

_Point three._

I jumped back once more, watching her struggle to get up.

"Not… yet…"

_That's right. Don't give in!_

When she was on her feet, she immediately charged, her determination giving her strength.

_CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!_

She swung for my legs, and when I jumped, she swung upwards at my chest. I blocked with my left Shinai, using the force to backflip out of the way of another swing. I charged back in, sliding on the ground for the last meter and sweeping her legs with my right Shinai, sending her to the ground yet again.

_Point four._

We got up at the same time, and I charged in before she had time to react. I thrust my left Shinai at her abdomen, and she parried it to the left. I used the force of the parry to spin around, hitting her left Shinai out of her hand and batting her right aside.

I struck her diagonally in the abdomen, then proceeded to duck down and strike her twice in the legs, making her fall down again. I jumped back, waiting for her to make a move.

_Points five and six._

"Come on! You're better than this, Sugu!"

I merely received a growl in response.

When she got up and ran to get her other Shinai, I didn't even try to intercept her. Instead, I let her get it and charge at me, so Sachi would have more enjoyment watching.

_I don't want to make any harsh moves with Sachi around… but at this point, anything would seem harsh._

Just before she got within one meter of me, I jumped over her and delivered a horizontal strike to her back. I used the force of the strike to spin in midair, and when I landed, I struck her in the legs, sending her to the ground for the fifth time this match.

_Points seven and eight._

I got up, looking at my sister with a nostalgic smile. _She's just like I was… before I let _her_ help me…_

"Wanna end this now?" I queried, trying to show mercy.

"Y-yeah… but I swear, Onii-chan! I'll get to your level someday!"

I helped her up. "Yeah… I know you can, and I know you will."

_Heh… so familiar… it's almost like I'm reliving it through _her_ eyes…_

I turned to Sachi, saying, "Well, how was it?"

"That was amazing!" she cheered, smiling brightly.

_She looks as lively as she did before the accident…_

* * *

As we walked out of the mini-dojo in our backyard, Suguha turned to us and said, "Well, I'll leave you two now. I need to go practice for the junior high division of the tournaments."

_So she got in? I wonder what style she's going to use… regardless, I bet she'll win her division. I just have to do my part._

"Okay, train hard!"

* * *

Back in my house, I led Sachi to my room. "Sit tight while I get my stuff, 'kay?"

"Sure."

After a few minutes of packing, I heard Sachi ask, "Hey, who made that sketch of you from middle school? It's so good…"

Trying to keep my voice from quivering, I said, "Oh, that? A very important person gave that to me near when I started middle school. Wanna take a closer look?"

"Sure."

"All right, here," I said, walking over to where it hung by my mirror. I took it from where it hung, walked over to Sachi and gave it to her.

"Wow, this is amazing… it's so lifelike!"

"Yeah…"

"Hey, Kazuto?"

"What is it?" I replied gently.

"Did that girl make this?"

I hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yeah, she did."

"Well, she must have been a very nice person. The way she drew the lines was so soft…"

_She can tell what people are like through their art?_

"Yeah, she was."

"Huh? There's writing on the back."

_How could she tell? Wait, that writing is—_

"That's my address! Did she live in my house before me?"

"Yeah…"

"Wait, that last name…"

"Yeah. That's the last name of the best nito-ryu fighter in Japan, the one who trained me, and the father of my first love…"

"Then that means…"

"Yup. I was taught by him… Konno Katsu, the Kendo World Champion of the year two-thousand."

"Wow… so that's why you're so good!"

"I guess. I never got to test how good I was against anyone other than the people in his family. No one else was strong enough to test my limits, but every single person in his family could beat me in under a minute, including my first love."

"You're kidding! But you're so strong!" Sachi exclaimed, looking at me in shock.

"They were all born with incredibly fast reaction speeds. Apparently, I was the only one who could come close to beating them, but I was always outmatched by their ability to react slightly faster than I could."

"I see… it's hard to believe there are people who can outmatch you so easily."

"Were."

"What?"

"Well, no one in that family is… around anymore. _She's_ gone, her sister followed suit the same way, and their dad disappeared without a trace around the same time they… went away. I assume that he's either dead, or afraid to face me."

"Why would he be afraid? You're a nice person."

Not ready to answer, I looked at her with a gentle smile and said, "Well, we'll save that for another day. I'm ready, so let's go."

"Y-yeah…"

* * *

A half an hour later, we were at the school, and we had met up with Strea and Klein.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend along," I said, gesturing towards Sachi.

"Hi."

"So this is your mysterious girlfriend? Well, she _is_ cute!" Klein said.

"We're not like that," I replied calmly.

"Sure, sure."

"Well, did you guys bring any gear, by chance? We haven't really fought properly once since I joined this club, and I want to fight the right way again."

"Uh, yeah, we brought our gear. I didn't think you would want to fight like that yet, given the fact that you use fancy jumping moves all the time," Klein said.

"Don't worry, I'll still be able to beat both of you guys, even without my flashy moves."

"That sounds like a challenge," Strea said cockily, a smirk on her face.

"That's because it is. Now, which one of you wants to warm me up?"

Strea stepped forward, her smirk still on her face.

"Good. Let's get our gear on, and I'll meet you at the mat."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

Five minutes later, we had our _bogu_ on, and we were at the mat.

_Now, I'm using my official nito Shinai, so the shoto in my left hand will put me at a disadvantage. On the other hand, my daito is slightly longer than most Shinai, so that'll be somewhat good. She's using one Shinai, and it's a little shorter than my daito, so I'm in for an easy fight, since she was apparently trained in nito, just like me. I should still be careful, though._

"Ready?" Strea queried.

"Always."

"I'll be ref!" Sachi said, before the blonde could get a chance.

"All right. I'll decide the rules, though," I said from underneath my helmet. "We're going with an official match, so whoever gets two points first is the winner. Since we're using our gear, anything goes. You can aim for anywhere, but be prepared to be hit in the same area yourself."

"Right."

"Three…" Sachi started.

Strea and I got into our stances.

_This'll be too easy._

"Two…"

We tensed our muscles for combat.

"One…"

We locked eyes, confident magenta meeting with observant gray.

"GO!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**AHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Cliffhangers, cliffhangers… they're totally annoying to me, especially from an author who doesn't update often, but it's so fun writing them!**

**Anyway, you may have noticed how short this chapter is. Well, I couldn't think of a way to make it longer without overstepping my bounds. I know I could've written out the last fight, but I thought I'd just get a chapter out before people abandon this story due to lack of updates.**

**Anyway, I bet all you light-novel readers realized who the mystery girl is by now, but I'm not going to say it here in the authors' note, just because it'll spoil it for the people who don't read the LNs.**

**EDIT: I'm putting up a poll about possibly posting a sequel to this story with more focus on SAO. I have the first chapter done already, but I want to know if people actually want to read it before I post it. It'll still be a harem, but the harem aspect will be more subdued than most.**

**All right, I guess that's about it! It's disclaimer time!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, or any other media adaptations of it!**

**See ya!**


	8. Training Part II

The Kendo Club

Chapter Eight: Training Part II

* * *

**A wild New Chapter appeared!**

**Options:**

**Read and review/fav/follow**

**Don't read**

**Throw a rock at the author for taking so long**

* * *

**Anyway, I'm going to try to include more characters from the earlier chapters in the fray, such as the fan-favorite, Asuna, instead of just having Kirito, Sugu and Sachi all the time, because I think I'm pissing off the harem-lovers by giving Sachi so much more screen/page time than anyone else. (What can I say, guys? Sachi is my favorite character in SAO! Second. To. None.)**

**Also, I'm going to list some kendo terms that I've learned since I started taking it. (That's right! I'm taking KENDO! IT'S AWESOME!)**

**_Men_**** (pronounced like it's spelled): headpiece. A ****_Men_**** strike is when you aim for the headpiece of the protective gear, which will be the next thing I'll name.**

**_Bogu_**** (boh-goo): protective gear, composed of three pieces (or four, if you count the wrist pieces separately). The ****_Men_**** is one of them, along with two more, which I'll name for you next.**

**_Kote_**** (koh-tay): the wrist pieces of the ****_Bogu_****. Normally, you can only aim for the right ****_Kote_****, but if they're higher than the opponent's head, (i.e., if they're preparing for a ****_Men_**** strike) then you can aim for the left one.**

**_Do_**** (doh): the piece that covers the stomach and chest. Look it up, and you might laugh at how much larger people look in full ****_Bogu_****.**

**_Gyaku_**** (ghee-a-koo): it literally translates to "Reverse". When I use it, I'll always mean it as the phrase, ****_Gyaku Nito-ryu_****. In ****_Gyaku Nito-ryu_****, the daito (dai-toh) (long Shinai) is used in the left hand, while the shoto (shoh-toh) (short Shinai) is in the right. Most people who use Nito use ****_Gyaku_****, simply because it goes better with kendo basics.**

**All right, I think that's it! See you at the bottom A/N!**

* * *

_"I'll be ref!" Sachi said, before the blonde could get a chance._

_"All right. I'll decide the rules, though," I said from underneath my helmet. "We're going with an official match, so whoever gets two points first is the winner. Since we're using our gear, anything goes. You can aim for anywhere, but be prepared to be hit in the same area yourself."_

_"Right."_

_"Three…" Sachi started._

_Strea and I got into our stances._

**_This'll be too easy._**

_"Two…"_

_We tensed our muscles for combat._

_"One…"_

_We locked eyes, confident magenta meeting with observant gray._

_"GO!"_

* * *

We charged simultaneously, her Shinai meeting with my daito with a loud _clack_.

I spun around to the right and hit her Shinai with my shoto, forcing it down and allowing me a jab to her neck with my daito, but she blocked it with her Shinai just in time.

_That's right… two arms move a sword faster than one. But I'm nowhere near done yet!_

Noting that I was a little too close, I moved back slightly. While I moved, she raised her Shinai to go for a _Men_ strike. I blocked it with my shoto while I made a _Do_ strike with my daito, running through and turning around to face her.

_Point one._

"Good one!" Strea said, panting lightly.

"If you're already tired, then this'll be a short spar!"

"Not even!"

She charged at me, Shinai high above her head in preparation for a _Men_ strike. I blocked with my shoto, but she forced it down and blocked the _Do_ strike I was about to make with my daito. Using the strength of my shoto and daito, I forced her back. While she stumbled, I ran in and tried to make a _Do_ strike with my daito again, but she blocked it with her Shinai. But…

I still had my shoto, which I brought down on her head in a _Men_ strike.

"_Men_!" I shouted just as my shoto made contact, ending the match.

"Whoa…" Sachi whispered, amazed by how short the spar ended.

"You've gotten rusty, Kazuto. You should've beat her faster," a feminine voice said flatly, its owner walking up behind me.

Without even turning around, I knew whose voice that was. In an instant, my mood took a dark turn.

"Asada Shino," I said darkly, grinding my teeth.

"I just thought I'd check on my old friend, but it seems like you've gotten a little rusty in your reprieve from kendo."

I snapped my head around in anger, my eyes burning with barely restrained rage. Despite it all, I found myself laughing, though it wasn't a happy laugh… it was dark, angry, and filled with hate. "You lost the right to call me your friend as soon as you left us. That was a thousand times more painful than Alice's insults… because she trusted you.

"I'm not gonna lie. I'm this close," I said, making a gesture with my left thumb and index finger, "to going over there and attacking you. If I were you, I'd get the hell out of here."

"Well, I hope you're prepared to fight me, then," Shino said cockily.

I then noticed the Shinai she was holding in her hand, presumably picked up when she entered the room.

She gave me a smirk. "I've been taking kendo since our last year of middle school. I got into the tournaments as a representative for the private school I go to, so I'll be seeing you there."

I smirked. "You say I've gotten rusty? Why don't you test that theory? I could've just been holding back," I taunted.

Not falling for the taunt, she said, "I see no point. We'll fight each other soon enough."

And with that, she walked out of the room, leaving me seething.

* * *

(The next day)

_WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!_

Over and over, I would hit my targets, until they inevitably broke under the force of my swings.

_WHACK! WHACK! WHACK—_

The sound of wood splintering could be heard from my backyard mini-dojo.

Yet another target successfully destroyed.

_I won't lose! I'll destroy the competition! I'll destroy everyone who stands in my way!_

My confrontation with Shino the day before had riled me up. It made me think of all the people I once knew that I would have to face in the tournaments.

_But they all… when they found out… they all abandoned us!_

_WHACK! WHACK!_

I bit my lip to repress an "Ouch!" I could see blood on the handles of my Shinai, both my shoto and daito, but I couldn't care less. I had to get stronger.

A few blisters were a small price to pay.

_"Did you hear?" I heard someone say on my walk back to my house._

_"What?" his friend queried._

_"I heard that the kendo world champ from two-thousand is coming to Japan to meet up with someone here in Tokyo!"_

I snapped out of my split-second daydream at the sound of wood splintering once more.

"Well, it looks like you've started kendo again, eh?" I heard an all-too-familiar voice say.

"Konno Katsu."

"In the flesh!"

"Did you come here to test me again, or are you just passing by on your way to meet someone?"

"I came to apologize to you."

My eyes widened, then narrowed in anger. "If you came to apologize, you should apologize to your daughters' graves! What kind of father are you?! After you found out about your 'favorite' daughter's illness, you just left!"

"I can't get the forgiveness of a dead person."

I clenched my shoto and daito tighter, turning around and running at him… Konno Katsu, the world champion of two-thousand.

He expertly dodged every swing, as if they were all in slow motion. The more he dodged, the angrier I got, and the faster my swings became. Still, he dodged each swing effortlessly. Then I noticed that I was slowly forcing him to move back.

"You… I won't… let you… get away… with what you did!"

When I finally made a hit, I hit his…

_Shinai?!_

When he was backed against the wall, he had grabbed one of my spare daito from the bin to his left, and then he blocked the swing from my daito.

"AAAAH!"

Over and over, I kept swinging at him, the blood from my hands further staining my shoto and daito. Over and over, he blocked my strikes with the spare daito. I was wearing down, I could tell… and so could he.

"Why…? After all I've fought, after all I've trained, I still can't even come close to your speed!" I shouted, pouring all my rage into my words.

I suddenly stopped, unable to go any further. My vision became hazy until I couldn't see him.

Everything went black.

* * *

When I awoke, I found Katsu sitting beside my bed, which he had presumably carried me to.

"Why…?"

That one word held so many questions, most of which would probably forever go unanswered.

"I… I was forced to leave Japan for a few years. They wouldn't let me come back, not even for my own daughters' funerals," Katsu whispered, his voice shaky.

I looked up at his face, seeing tears in his eyes for the first time since I met him.

My eyes widened. "You… you took the blame for someone, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Sugou committed a crime, and I took the blame for him. It was a big crime, and I didn't want my friend to get killed for it. Since I had a higher status, and was once the world champion on top of that, I knew I wouldn't get the death penalty like he would.

"Before they decided what punishment I would get, I heard that my youngest daughter didn't have long to live. Word got around, and they decided to banish me from the country for several years. They did it just so that I couldn't be there for her…"

Then, the strongest man I ever knew… burst into tears, sobbing hopelessly.

Despite the sorrow I felt, I found myself smiling softly. Perhaps I felt the slightest hint of sympathy for the man before me.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't think this would happen! I wanted… I wanted to be there!"

"It's… it's all right. It looks like we're not so different," I started, remaining oddly calm. "I didn't get to see her just before she died. I was stuck in the Japanese kendo nationals. I got there as soon as I could, skipping the final round… but I was too late. Just a few minutes too late."

He continued to sob, and I continued to smile softly.

When he finally recovered, he said, "You're going to have a hard time at the tournament with your current skill. What do you think about picking training back up?"

I gave him a thumbs up. "I'll work twice as hard!"

* * *

(One week later)

_CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!_

"That's it! Keep it going!"

"Easy for you to say!"

As we fought these last several days, Katsu and I both noticed a steady increase in my speed. He chose to focus on speed as a point of training, rather than control, which he believed I already had enough of.

Currently, we were in the middle of a spar, fully armored and ready to hit each other as soon as an opening appeared. We had stopped counting the points he made long ago, but I had only made three so far… and even that was an improvement from before I quit kendo.

"Ha!" I shouted as I swung at his right _Kote_ with my daito, while blocking a _Do_ strike with my shoto.

Unfortunately for me, he had dodged my _Kote_ strike, already swinging his shoto sideways (he used _Gyaku Nito-ryu_, so the shoto was in his right hand) in another _Do_ strike. When it made contact, he ran around me, turning to face me.

"Come on, you could've blocked that!" Katsu said jubilantly.

"Maybe if I weren't so tired!" I retorted.

"Yeah, we should probably take a break soon. I'm willing to bet that your housekeeper has some food ready for us! What was her name…?"

"Asuna?"

"Yeah, that's it! She's a really good cook!"

I smiled. "Yeah."

"Let's go inside and eat!" Katsu said with blinding enthusiasm.

"Now you're talking!"

* * *

When we went inside, I found Asuna at the dinner table, quietly eating a sandwich while looking at her phone. In a basket to her left, many more sandwiches lay in wait for people like me and Katsu to devour.

Looking up from her phone, Asuna said, "Hey you guys! Training hard?"

I gave her a thumbs up, saying, "You know it!"

"Good! So, how many points did you score on the champ today?" Asuna queried.

"Three!" I said with pride.

"And how many did he score?" she asked, pointing at Katsu.

"We lost count somewhere around fifteen…" I muttered.

"Well, I guess it's to be expected. Even with your ability, you're still fighting the world champ of two-thousand," Asuna said with a sigh.

"I try not to picture him as a champion."

"Hey!"

"I wasn't done," I said with a smile. "I picture him as my sensei. After all, he took over that job back in the beginning of middle school. Plus, it's less intimidating that way."

"That's fair," Katsu said.

I heard a giggle coming from Asuna, and then we all started to laugh, even though it wasn't that funny.

Then, we all knew what had to be done.

"Itadakimasu!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Well, that was easy enough. I have no real excuse for why this took so long. I could say I had no inspiration, but when I finally got down and wrote a bit, the words came flowing like crazy. I guess I just needed to start…**

**So, I introduced two new characters, didn't I? Just to be clear, Katsu is NOT a real character. He's the only OC other than Sachi's parents that I plan on using in this story. As for Shino, that's the real name of a character from the light novels who goes by the name Sinon. She played Gun Gale Online, the third VRMMO to be introduced into the series.**

**Anyway, one last thing before I say the dreaded disclaimer.**

**Itadakimasu means "Thanks for the food" in Japanese. People over there say it right before they eat.**

**All right, here it comes!**

**I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters!**

**See ya!**


	9. Versus the Champion

The Kendo Club

Chapter Nine: Versus the Champion

* * *

**A/N:**

**Like the title says, this chapter revolves around a match between Konno Katsu, the world champion of the year 2000, and Kazuto.**

**I found next to zip on kendo tournament locations in Japan, so here's my interpretation, which is also how I'm going to write it unless someone who has been to Japan/is Japanese tells me that I'm wrong in how I've set it up.**

**Prefectural tournament**

**Regional tournament**

**National tournament**

**Okay, another thing. Someone reviewed this story saying that Kirito became famous for wielding two long Shinai at the same time. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but in the actual series, he had NO EXPERIENCE with any kind of dual-wielding before SAO. And also, Nito-ryu is NOT wielding two long Shinai, it is actually wielding a shoto and daito. (A shoto is a short Shinai, with a maximum length of 64 cm, and a daito is a long Shinai, with a maximum length of 114 cm.) Next time someone reviews this story, PLEASE don't tell me how to write it. It would get any author mad.**

**Okay, now that that's over, I get to tell you… nothing more. I can't think of anything else to say! LOL**

**That's about it!**

**See you at the bottom!**

* * *

_"Well, I guess it's to be expected. Even with your ability, you're still fighting the world champ of two-thousand," Asuna said with a sigh._

_"I try not to picture him as a champion."_

_"Hey!"_

_"I wasn't done," I said with a smile. "I picture him as my sensei. After all, he took over that job back in the beginning of middle school. Plus, it's less intimidating that way."_

_"That's fair," Katsu said._

_I heard a giggle coming from Asuna, and then we all started to laugh, even though it wasn't that funny._

_Then, we all knew what had to be done._

_"Itadakimasu!"_

* * *

As I stood in the shower, scalding hot water pouring down my body, I thought of the upcoming events.

_Well… in a week, I'll be going to the prefectural tournament. I have no doubts I'll win that one, but after that, things only get harder. After the prefectural tournament, I have the regionals, and then… the nationals._

I started to think about the first… and last… time I went to the national tournament.

_I won every match with ease until the semi-finals, when I had to fight Diabel… or whatever his name was. The one who dyed his hair blue. I still can't believe that he took so long to beat! He even hit me once, though he didn't get a point for it._

I got out of the shower, having washed fifteen minutes prior.

_But I never got to fight the other finalist, Eugeo. I wonder how good he is… if he still takes kendo, anyway._

I put on my school uniform and went to my room to pack my things.

I sighed. _I can't believe it's school time already. It feels like my summer holiday didn't even last a week._

I packed my daito and shoto in my Shinai bag, proceeded to get my already-packed backpack, and went into the front room.

"Ready to go?" Suguha asked me from the door.

_Oh yeah, that's right! I'm in my second year of high-school, and Sugu is in her first. She'll be coming with me to school now along with Sachi._

It was then that I remembered that Sachi was still recovering from the aftereffects of her coma, and wouldn't be coming to school for a while.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Let's go."

"Are you depressed that Sachi won't be coming to school for a while?" Suguha assumed.

"How did you—?!"

"Women's intuition."

"You're still a teenager," I said, a smug smile on my face.

"Whatever," Suguha said, puffing out her cheeks in a pout.

_You only prove my point when you do that._

* * *

The rest of the walk to school was filled with comfortable silence. When we went to look at the class listings, I found that I would be attending class 2A, the same class as Strea, Sachi, Asuna, and…

_Alice… Shuberg._

Despite my undying hatred for her, I still felt the need to apologize to her for what I did.

_I guess this'll be as good a chance as any._

"Well, I'm off to class," I said abruptly, having seen what I wanted to see.

"Wait, what?"

But by that point, I was already at the end of the hallway, with only one thing on my mind.

_I've gotta finish school so I can train with Katsu._

* * *

Once classes ended, I went straight to the clubroom to tell them the situation before going home to train. Unfortunately, when I got there, I saw a huge crowd gathered around one person, whose features were indistinguishable with all the people standing in the way.

_Oh god, please don't tell me—_

"There you are!" an all-too-familiar voice shouted from the center of the crowd.

The crowd parted to allow him to walk over to me.

"Hey, sensei," I sighed. "I was kinda hoping to keep it on the down-low that you were training me again."

"Oh, sorry about that," he said, the tone of his voice suggesting otherwise.

_You're not sorry at all!_

"Well, since I'm here, what do you say we give them a show?" Katsu asked me, pointing to the crowd.

I froze. I felt trapped.

_If I say no, I'll look like a coward, but there's no way in _hell_ I can win!_

Eventually, I realized there was no way out. I sighed.

"All right."

"Let's give it everything we've got!" he shouted enthusiastically.

I smirked in spite of myself. "Were you expecting anything less?"

As we stared each other down through our _Men_, I analyzed his form.

_His form is flawless!_

I looked down at myself, noticing that I had unconsciously switched hands from my usual style, using _Gyaku_ instead.

_Well, it's a good thing I'm ambidextrous, 'cause I don't feel like changing hands now. Besides, he's using _Gyaku_ as well. This'll make it easier for me._

"All right! If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it formally," Katsu said. "We aim for _Men_, _Kote_, and _Do_. Nowhere else. Also, we should refrain from using our shoto in attacks. I know how you like to do that."

"No prob, I can handle that."

Looking at the crowd, Katsu shouted, "We need three judges!"

The blonde (whose name still eludes me), Strea, and Klein walked out from the crowd. "We'll do it!" they all shouted at once.

"All right!" Katsu exclaimed. "Now, you'll need to remember two colors, since we don't have the flags on us. I'll be red, and Kirito will be white. When one of us gets a point, yell out that person's color! If no one has a point in five minutes, or if the score is tied, then it's a tie!"

"Right!" the three of them shouted simultaneously.

"All right! Three…" Strea shouted, beginning the countdown.

I looked at him, analyzing his form once more. Yet again, I found it to be flawless.

"Two…"

Somehow, I could tell he was watching my every move, even the slightest twitch.

"One…"

_You're trying to detect fear, aren't you? Joke's on you! I'm not afraid anymore!_

"Go!"

We slowly moved closer to each other, waiting for an opening. Then, when I saw him get ready to stomp his foot in an attempt to intimidate me, I ran at him, swinging my daito down for a _Men_ strike.

He blocked it with his shoto, pushing me back and swinging his own daito at my right _Kote_. I blocked with ease, only having to shift my right hand a little. I deflected it with a small push to the right when it made impact, forcing it back and allowing me to try for another _Men_ strike with my daito.

Of course, his shoto blocked this.

He brought his daito sideways for a _Do_ strike, and I blocked it with my shoto, forcing it outwards. I then used my shoto to hit his own shoto and hold it away from him while I swung my daito in for a _Do_…

And he did the same.

We hit each other at the exact same time, cancelling out the point.

We moved back to the center of the mat, catching our breath.

"You've… gotten much better…" Katsu panted.

"You haven't exactly… kept in top shape."

"Ready to test that?"

"Always."

We ran back in, not wasting any time to go on the offense. We knew that a good three minutes had gone by already, and still neither of us had a single point.

He swung his daito in an overhead _Men_ strike, and I blocked it with my shoto. I swung for a _Do_, but he intercepted it with his shoto. He pushed me back, and I immediately ran back in, going for his right _Kote_ with my daito. Right when I made contact…

He swung his daito downward in a _Men_ strike, making contact right as I hit his _Kote_.

Yet another point cancellation.

_We're even!_

We moved back to the center of the mat, and as we did, I heard cheering coming from my club-mates. And…

_They're cheering for me? Well, I won't disappoint!_

I ran in, and yet again, we both hit a valid spot on each other at the same time.

"You know, you can stop holding back," I said, realizing the situation.

"Only when you do."

As if we could read each other's thoughts, we instantly dropped all sentimental restraints. We were just opponents in a kendo match, willing to do whatever it took to win.

We ran at each other once more, striking each other simultaneously again and again. We really had become equals.

Finally, right before what would've been another tied hit, I heard Strea shout, "Time!"

_We… tied?!_

"Well, you really have grown, Kazuto!" Katsu told me happily. "Next time, I won't use any weights!"

_He was using… weights?!_

"So you still don't have the guts to go all out on me, huh?" I said wryly.

"Well, I can do that when we get back to my place!"

_To his place? But he doesn't live here anymore! Oh, I think I get it now…_

"Where is your place?" one of the people in the crowd asked eagerly.

"If I told you that, word would get around, and then the media would swarm me! Sorry, but I don't want that kind of publicity."

* * *

When we left the school, I decided to confirm my suspicions. "The reason you said you had your own house in Japan… that was to protect our privacy, wasn't it? You knew that if you told them you were staying at my place, or even if you implied it, that the social media would be all over us, and we wouldn't be able to get any training in."

"You're as perceptive as ever!"

"By the way, I want you to meet someone," I said.

"Who?"

"She's my next-door neighbor, and when I met her, she reminded me so much of your daughter… I want to see if you'll feel the same. You haven't seen her yet because she's still recovering from the aftereffects of a coma, so she's been inside her house for most of the week."

"Wait… you mean…?"

"Yeah, that's right. She lives in your old house, in your daughters' old room, and she's the same age. Ironic, isn't it?"

"What's her name…?"

"Her name… my best friend's name… is Sachi Takamachi."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Well, that went faster than expected! I can't believe how easy this was to write! **

**So… I have almost ONE HUNDRED FOLLOWERS! When it finally reaches one hundred, I might just die of happiness!**

**Anyway, if you have questions, leave a review or PM me and I'll do my best to answer!**

**Now, the loathsome line that everyone knows is just a waste of space, but I have to say anyway:**

**I don't own the SAO light novel series or any of its adaptations!**

**See ya!**


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